From Vengeance To Forgiveness
by MonaGirl
Summary: After Emily has finally left the path of revenge and is accepted by the Graysons as a family member, there is nothing that can jeopardize her happiness. But then fate strikes again, and she is faced with a threat, which could destroy everything... Sequel to "The Choices We Make"
1. Courage

****On the Beach, Hamptons****

 **Eight weeks later - March 22nd**

Gently, Emily took her little son out of his baby carriage and carried him over to the water. When the waves washed over her feet, she stopped and looked down at Julian, who was looking at her with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" Daniel shouted to her. He was sitting on a blanket a few yards from the water.

"Showing him the ocean." Smiling, she turned to him. "It's the first time he's here. I remember how much I loved the beach and the ocean as a child …" She stopped in the middle of the sentence when she saw Daniel's wrinkled forehead. _Of course,_ it crossed her mind. He didn't know that she was playing here when she was a little girl, before his parents betrayed her father, put him in jail, where he got killed. "My parents were often with me on the beach," she added, before Daniel could become suspicious.

She was happy with him. Happy with her baby. And she felt as though Victoria was gradually accepting her. At least they had closed a kind of truce since Emily was back in the Manor. And Daniel's healing progressed well. He still couldn't make long walks or go jogging, but he didn't have to lie in his bed or stay at home any longer. The desire to go back to the beach house had become overwhelming in the last few days. She finally wanted to be undisturbed with her husband. But she knew it wouldn't be easy to convince Victoria to leave the Manor.

"Don't you think he's still a little too young to learn how to swim?" Daniel said, smirking.

"You can't start early enough." Emily stepped out of the water and went to him. "Here, hold him!" She put the baby into his arms. "I want to enjoy the waves as long as we have high water," she said, running back into the ocean.

Smiling, Daniel watched as she dived into the waves like a dolphin and disappeared. How much he wished to join her. But the doctors still didn't allow any physical exercise. He remembered the one time on the beach, where they had made passionate love. An activity he had avoided so far. At the same time, he wanted nothing more than to show her how much he loved and desired her. But he was also grateful that he had survived and had even gotten another chance to a shared future with Emily. The events on the island had changed him and her equally. He knew now that Emily loved him unconditionally and was even willing to die for him. She had forgiven him. He still couldn't believe it. And even though he had shot Aiden, he wasn't held responsible. Self defense, the police had said. He knew that Emily didn't take Aiden's death lightly. But they didn't talk about it. They were trying to concentrate on what they both had. He looked smiling at his son and gently stroked his cheek. There was so much to be thankful for. Not only did he survive, but Julian's condition also progressed from day to day. Nobody would suspect that he was born as a preemie two months ago. He had grown and showed interest in his surroundings when he was awake. His thought was suddenly interrupted when Emily came back and grabbed her towel.

"It's still a little bit chilly out there. But I just couldn't resist." She bent down and kissed him gently.

"Wait ...!" He got up and put Julian back into the baby carriage before he grabbed Emily and pulled her to him. "I think we can do better ..." He didn't wait for any reply but leaned forward and kissed her with such passion that he could feel her surrender under his pressure.

Moaning softly, she opened her lips and allowed his tongue to enter, while she ran her fingers through his hair and clung to him tightly. How long had it been since they'd slept together? She didn't know. But at that moment the desire to feel him everywhere was so overwhelming that she lost control. With trembling fingers, she pushed his shirt over his head and groaned softly as he shoved the straps of her bikini top aside and let his lips move over her neck to her breasts. When he pulled her down to the blanket and kissed her passionately, her resistance melted completely. Presumably, they would simply have given in to their feelings, if not a voice had brought them back from their carnal rush.

"Daniel! Emily!"

Startled, both stopped. Emily was the first to react and moved slowly away from Daniel. Hastily, she pushed her bikini top back to its original position. "Victoria! We didn't hear you coming," she said, still struggling with the sudden ambush.

"I could see that." Victoria looked at her son disapprovingly. "Honestly, Daniel! What were you thinking? And even in the presence of the baby!" She quickly looked at her grandson who slept peacefully in his baby carriage.

Daniel reached for his shirt and slipped it over. "I don't think it upset him," he said, eye-rolling. He rose. "Mom, I think it's time for Emily and me to go back to the beach house," he said firmly.

"But why?" Victoria asked, visibly affected. "You're still not healthy enough to ..."

She didn't come any further when he made an impetuous hand movement. "Two months, Mom! I think the doctors had said a few weeks. It's been months now. I'm fine. I am almost completely fit again. And there's no reason why Emily and I should live longer with nurses and nannies under one roof!"

"We can tell the nursing staff and the nanny that their help is no longer needed," Victoria tried to remedy the situation. "But that's no reason to move out."

"We want to live our own lives again," he explained again. "Also called privacy. If you can't understand that, well, then I'm sorry!" He bent down to the blanket, folded it together and put it on the baby carriage. "Em, are you coming?"

Emily glanced at her mother-in-law, who stood there shell-shocked. She wasn't accustomed to such a rude rejection. Emily was even more impressed that Daniel had had the courage to speak his mind. She knew he had done it mainly for her because she had often complained that she lacked privacy in the house, despite the many rooms the Manor had to offer. She grabbed the baby carriage and followed him.

"Phew ..." He wiped an imaginary bead from his forehead. "I hope she got it now."

Emily turned around and found that her mother-in-law was still standing in the same place, looking out to the ocean. It wasn't the first time she'd asked herself why her father had been in love with Victoria at that time. He, whom she had remembered as caring and loving. She had been a little girl, when they had been separated, but she could remember every detail. What had it been that had attracted him to this cool, calculating woman?

"Emily?"

Daniel's shout disrupted her thoughts. And as she went back to the Manor to prepare everything for a return to the beach house, she wondered if her life would have been different if her father hadn't been murdered.


	2. Attraction

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

For two months now, Ava has been working in the bar and, after an intensive training period, she developed into a real bartender who couldn't only mix all sorts of drinks, but was also popular among the guests. Everyone greeted with a friendly smile and wasn't averse to a little chat. In her opinion it was essential not only to do her job, but also to learn more about the guests. Another reason why they liked her and gave her generous tips. Since most of them were regular guests, she was accepted in their circle. With one exception: Jack Porter, the owner of the 'Stowaway'. Ever since her first encounter, she felt strangely self-conscious in his presence, without knowing where the feeling came from. He wasn't Charles Bay, though he had a striking resemblance to him. But Jack was quite different, friendly, charming, warm-hearted. Perhaps it was the contrast that made her insecure, and the fact that, despite her shyness, she felt drawn to him. Unlike Charlie, who she had immediately blindly trusted, she tried to keep her distance from him. A state that wasn't easy to maintain, because as the bar owner he was present most of the time. Even now he just came down the stairs and looked for her. Quickly Ava turned around and pretended to be busy. But she could feel his presence as he stood before the bar counter.

"Um ... Ava?" He said hesitantly, waiting for her to turn to him. "As you may know, my birthday is in two weeks. I would like to give a party. Nothing big or elaborate, just a few friends."

She nodded. "I take care of the order. Is a birthday cake needed?" She asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

He looked at her, frowning. "I don't think so. But I'm not here because of the order." He cleared his throat. "I wanted to invite you, too."

She held her head down, so that he couldn't see how his presence made her insecure. "Better not," she said tersely. "I don't like to mix professional life with private life."

"Well, since the party will be held here, this can't be completely avoided," he replied dryly.

She lifted her head and looked at him. "Of course, I will be available with my working power," she said with a stoic look.

"Actually, I had planned to give my employees the evening off," he said slowly. "A catering company will take care of everything. They supply food and beverages and also take care that someone's helping out behind the counter."

"Then I don't think it's necessary for me to come." She said tightly and noticed that her hands were trembling as she gripped a beer glass and mechanically began to wipe it with a towel.

"I would like to get to know you better."

The glass that she had just polished slipped out of her fingers and crashed on the floor. "Crap!" She bent down and wanted to pick up the broken pieces as she felt Jack's presence beside her.

"Don't touch it!" He warned. "We better should sweep this together."

She looked up at him and for a moment they locked eyes. That she still had her hand on the shard, she only noticed when she felt a sharp pain and then saw the blood dripping from a wound in her hand.

"You're bleeding!" He pulled her carefully up and went with her to the sink.

Like an electric shock, she flinched as he touched her. She had never experienced anything like that before, and was confused and frightened at the same time about her own physical reaction. Her first impulse was to pull her hand away. But she forced herself to keep still until he had rinsed and taped the wound. "Thank you," she muttered, pulling her hand away.

"I don't want my employees to bleed out in my bar," he said, smiling. "Things like that can harm the reputation."

 _That smile!_ She felt her knees turn into jelly.

"Hey! Everything okay? You're suddenly so pale!" He took her arm and led her around the counter to one of the tables where he sat her onto a chair.

"I feel queasy when I see blood," was the only thing that came to mind. She couldn't tell him that his closeness confused her, because he reminded her of her ex-fiancée. Or maybe there was a different reason why she reacted so strongly to his physical nearness. She looked up at him. A mistake, as she found out immediately. When their gazes suddenly connect again she had trouble not to sink into his green eyes. "Why ..." she began hesitantly. "Why do you want to get to know me better?"

"You've been working here for two months now and I know practically nothing about you, except that you're a friend of Nolan and live at his place." He shrugged. "I've always had a friendly relationship with my employees. I think it strengthens a better cooperation."

Ava nodded with her throat feeling constricted. She almost felt something like disappointment at his reasons, though she should be relieved. He wasn't interested in her. He only wanted to get to know her better as an employee. "I understand," she said tightly, then rose quickly. "I'm sweeping up now and take care of the order for tomorrow."

He also rose. "It's all right. I'll do it," he said firmly. "You can leave work for the day."

She nodded and went around the counter again to get her things. "Thank you, that's nice." She was already at the door when he spoke to her again.

"I hope you'll come."

"What?" She turned to him, confused.

"To my birthday party," he explained. "Nolan will be there, too."

Ava nodded mechanically, although she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to meet Jack Porter privately. "Yes," she confirmed. "I'm coming." She didn't see how his mouth twitched as she opened the door and left the bar.


	3. Interrogation

**Beach House, Hamptons**

 **Two weeks later**

"Tell me one reason why I should go to that party?"

"Because we were invited." Annoyed, Emily rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time she had an argument about this with him. At the day they had received the invitation to Jack's 30th birthday, Daniel had openly showed his resentment in attending this event. She couldn't imagine that he was still jealous, because what she had with Jack was long over. If one could even refer to it as a relationship. She wasn't even sure whether she had ever truly loved him, or whether it was simply the memory of her childhood. Anyway, there had once been a time when she had been very close to Jack. Much to the dismay of Daniel and also Aiden. "Besides, it would be your first public appearance after your injury," she added.

"And you think I have to prove to Jack Porter that I'm physically fit again?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Don't be childish, Daniel! You know that I didn't mean that. There will also be other guests, if you're afraid I could start a thing again with Jack!" She glared at him angrily.

"It wouldn't be completely unlikely, since he and Margaux parted ways."

She looked at him, bewildered. "Are you serious?!" She went up to him and held her rings under his nose. "Forever and ever... Do you remember? These were no empty rhetoric when you asked me the second time, if I wanted to be your wife. I didn't say 'yes' out of a commitment, but because I really loved you! And nothing has changed since then!"

He took a step towards her and then clasped her into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said softly, kissing her forehead. "I can't help it. Jack Porter is a thorn in my side."

"He's not even interested in me," Emily said. She saw his questioning look and sighed. "Well, okay, I'll tell you but you have to promise me not to tell anyone."

"Spill!" He sat down on a chair and looked at her expectantly.

"When I visited Nolan recently, he told me that Jack had grilled him about Ava. He wanted to know how they got to know each other and if she had a boyfriend." She rolled her eyes. "Nolan thinks Jack has a crush on her."

"And what about her?"

Emily shrugged. "I have no idea. I wanted to ask her when we're at the party."

"I never asked you this, but what was the reason why you were on the island, I mean before Aiden kidnapped you?"

She noticed her heart beating faster. "How do you know that?" She asked hesitantly.

"I think Nolan mentioned it."

Emily pondered what answer she could possibly give him without raising his suspicion. "For self-defense," she replied then, which wasn't completely untrue. "If you live in foster homes or in the juvie, you should know how to defend yourself in case of an attack. I was there to learn that."

"Did you ever have to use it?"

She nodded. "A couple of times. The juvie is a dangerous place. They don't treat you with kid gloves."

"Did you have friends there?"

She held her breath. He couldn't know about her real identity, could he? His questions were so focused on a particular answer that she was almost convinced that he knew she was Amanda Clarke. But that was impossible. She shook her head emphatically. "Why... why do you ask me all these questions?" She asked reluctantly.

He looked at her thoughtfully before he answered. "My mother has such a crazy theory about you..."

"What did she say?" She cut in, feeling panic rising inside her.

"She claims you solely came to the Hamptons to take revenge on our family," he admitted slowly, his gaze fixed on her.

Emily felt an invisible hand reaching for her throat. "That... it's total nonsense," she stammered. "I didn't even know you before."

"And yet you lied to get access to my family."

"It was almost four years ago", she said tensely. "I had learned how rich the Graysons were and just wanted my share of the cake."

"You wanted to get the Grayson name," he concluded.

Emily nodded. She didn't know why the conversation had suddenly taken such a turnaround, but one thing she knew now. Victoria was not the good mother-in-law she had thought she was. She still played a double game with her.

"Then you have succeeded."

She looked at him, stunned. "After all that we've been through in the past weeks and months, you still believe I'm lying to you?" She asked incredulously.

He shook his head slowly. "No, I believe you. I just wanted to clear up a misunderstanding." He looked at his watch, then frowned. "Don't we have to get dressed if we want to go to this party?"

Emily nodded. "I'll just take Julian to Charlotte. Then I'll come back." She went into the nursery, took her sleeping son and put him in the baby carrier. And as she walked over to the Manor, tears were running down her cheeks.


	4. Resurrection

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

The party was already in full swing when Emily and Daniel arrived at the 'Stowaway'. After a brief greeting of the birthday boy, Daniel immediately made his way to the counter where he ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail. They had been silent on their way to Montauk, and Emily was still unsure of his interrogation. As she looked around, she saw Ava in the crowd and walked towards her.

"Hey!" She greeted her and then gave her a hug. "You really togged yourself up. For Jack?" She winked at her.

"What?" Ava looked down at herself. "I thought evening dresses would be obligatory on such an occasion." She smiled uncertainly and looked down at her knee-length, turquoise cocktail dress, which was held only by spaghetti straps.

"It is," Emily confirmed. "It's just so unfamiliar to see you in anything other than jeans and sneakers." She pointed to Ava's long hair. "And open hair," she added.

Ava shrugged. "I can't wear long hair as a bartender. That's why I always make them in a pony-tail. It's convenient."

"There are many guests here," Emily noted after looking around.

"Yes, and he had said he only wanted to invite a 'few friends'." She rolled her eyes.

"Jack's got a lot of friends." Emily smirked. "Tell me what's going on between you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Jack?" Emily made it clear.

"There's nothing." Ava nervously fumbled at her straps. "He's my boss, I'm his employee," she said simply.

Emily looked over the crowd and suddenly smiled when she saw Jack, who was looking straight in their direction. "I think he'd like to change that." She gestured to him. "The way he looks at you is very telling. You know, a look says more than ..."

"Nonsense!" Ava interrupted. "You're just imagining things. He's only kind to his guests."

"You're not a guest," Emily clarified. She looked at her friend thoughtfully. "Why are you acting so weird towards him? I know you've had bad experiences with men. But Jack is different. He's sincere and amiable."

"Don't let Daniel hear that you speak so highly of your ex," Ava said, grinning. "He could get the wrong idea."

Emily sighed. For a change, Ava had hit the bull's eye, even if his doubts were without any reason. "Jack and I never had a real relationship," she said. "I was already with Daniel. We just kissed. That's it."

"And he knows about you," Ava added. "He knows about your true identity."

Emily nodded. "Yes, him, Nolan and Aiden, and of course you. You are the only ones who know about it. And I don't want anyone else to know." She sighed softly. "Amanda Clarke is dead. I'm Emily Grayson now. That's how it should be."

Ava nodded sympathetically. "I don't know what should change that. Your secret is safe with me." She made a gesture as if to lock up her lips.

"It means a lot to me that I now have a girlfriend to whom I can confide everything." Emily smiled and let her eyes wander over the crowd again. But suddenly her face grew stiff as she saw a familiar face among the guests. "What's Sara doing here?" She said, pointing to the young woman at the buffet.

Ava followed her gaze and frowned. "You know the woman?" She asked in astonishment. "I think she's working for the catering service."

Of course, how else could it have been? Emily closed her eyes frustrated. As if there was only one catering company throughout New York! She looked quickly at the counter and was relieved that Daniel was still sitting there on his bar stool, sipping his cocktail. He had apparently not seen her.

"You're literally drilling a hole in her with your eyes," Ava noticed, grinning. "Who is this woman?"

"Daniel's ex," Emily replied more forcefully than intended.

"Oops ..." Ava rolled her eyes. "How embarrassing!"

"For her, not for me," Emily said, while she still had fixed her gaze on Sara. "After all, I got Daniel."

"Hmm ..." Ava ran her fingers through her hair. A gesture that she always made when she was in thoughts. "I think your husband has just spotted her."

"Excuse me." Emily turned and went straight to the counter and caught him before he could reach Sara. "Charlotte just called," she said, pointing to her cell phone that she'd just pulled out of her pocket. "Julian is crying the entire time. And she doesn't know how to calm him. "She took his arm and pulled him towards the exit. "We must go home!"

Confused, he looked at her. "We've just come," he said, frowning. "Did you tell her to check the diaper, or maybe he's just hungry."

Emily nodded. "She already did that and he's still crying." They had almost reached the door as it opened and a man entered the bar. He had short, dark-blond hair, with gray strands and a full beard. For a moment they stood directly opposite each other, Emily could look into his deep blue eyes, which triggered a peculiar Deja Vu feeling in her. She felt her heart erratically pounding and fought for air. As he turned his gaze away from her and went to the counter, she could no longer bear it. She tore herself off Daniel and rushed towards the restroom. She heard him shouting her name, but she couldn't stop. When she reached the restroom, she leaned on the sink and tried to suppress the panic that came over her. _It can't be_ , it flashed through her mind. _He's dead! He died in jail twelve years ago!_ But there was no doubt. She would have recognized these eyes everywhere. She heard the door open and someone entering.

"Emily? Is everything okay? Daniel said you'd suddenly run away." Ava gently stroked a damp hair from her forehead. "What happened?" She asked worried.

"He's ... back," Emily stammered, still staring blindly into the sink.

"Who's back?" Ava asked, uncomprehending.

Emily slowly raised her head and looked at Ava with a blank expression. "My father ..." she said feebly. "David Clarke... He's back!"


	5. Encounter with the past

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

Ava looked at Emily incredulously. "But ... that's impossible." She shook her head vigorously. "He's dead!"

"Yes, I thought so too." Emily turned up the water tap and sprayed cold water on her face. "He just came in. Tall, dark-blond hair, full beard …" She shook her head. "I promise. I haven't seen a ghost," she said as she noticed Ava's skeptical gaze. "It's really him! I can remember his eyes, even if he looks quite different now."

"How old were you when he got arrested?"

"Nine." Emily threw back her long hair. "It was shortly after my ninth birthday. I remember exactly."

"You're saying you have recognized someone you haven't seen for more than 20 years?" Ava asked skeptically.

"I know it sounds crazy. But I would still recognize him after fifty years. He has changed, but the eyes are the same."

"Where is he now?" Ava asked with a frown.

"I have no idea. He came in, saw me, and went on to the counter." Her head jerked up. "Can you check if he's still there?"

Ava nodded hesitantly. "I'm doing the best I can."

"He looks a bit like a tramp," Emily added.

"Then I can hardly miss him, where all the guests here are dressed elegantly and appropriately." She squeezed Emily's hand slightly. "I'll be right back!" When she entered the bar again, he immediately caught her eye. He stood at the counter, holding a beer in his hand. _Emily described him well,_ she thought. He really looked a bit like a tramp. Slowly she approached him. "Sir? Excuse me, but this is a private party." As he turned to her, she held her breath for a moment. Emily was right. These eyes, once you had seen them, you wouldn't be able to forget them so quickly.

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry." He put his beer glass back on the counter and rose.

"No, wait!" Ava stood in his way before he could go to the door. "Are you looking for someone?" She noticed him looking at her for a moment, as he would think about an answer.

"Amanda Clarke," he said slowly. "I heard she lives here."

Ava's heart began to pound nervously. _It is him! Emily was right._ She pondered what she could tell him. But even before she could start, someone was faster.

"Are there any problems?"

She turned quickly and didn't know if she should be relieved or panicked when she recognized Jack. "No, everything's alright," she said with a low voice. She hoped that the man had gotten the hint and now would simply leave the bar. But her hope was ruined when he reached for Jack's hand.

"David Clarke," he introduced himself. "I'm looking for my daughter Amanda. I was told that she lives here."

Ava noticed how Jack froze. She could only guess how he felt now. He knew that the woman he'd married was not the real Amanda Clarke, and his real daughter was somewhere among the guests.

"Jack Porter," he said, squeezing the man's hand. "Amanda was my wife."

"Was?" The man frowned.

"I'm sorry." Jack lowered his head. "She died last year at a ... boat accident."

Ava looked at him in astonishment. She knew from Nolan that her death had been anything but an 'accident'. The boat with her and Jack had been deliberately blown up.

"She was still so young ..." The man reached for his glass and emptied it in one gulp. "I was hoping ... after all this time ..." His voice broke and he shook his head slightly. "I have been away for a very long time. I traveled a lot, mostly abroad," he explained. "For a while I had problems with the law, which is why I had to serve a prison sentence. But I thought when I came back to my little girl …" He broke off again and wiped a tear from his cheek. "Well, that's probably called fate."

Jack nodded uneasily. "As I said, I'm sorry. I would have liked to give you better news."

The man turned to the door. "Oh, maybe you can tell me who owns the wooden house in the Hamptons now, the house right on the beach?"

Ava saw Jack's eyes widen. And she knew he thought the same.

"No," he said hastily. "I can't help you. I'm not there very often."

When the man had gone, Jack leaned on the counter and took a few deep breaths. "Where's Emily?" he asked Ava.

"She's in the restroom." She slightly touched his arm. "She knows it," she said gently. "She saw him as he entered the bar."

"That's not good." Jack closed his eyes and shook his head. "That is not good at all. Sooner or later he will recognize her. And then her cover will blow."

"Why is he back?" Ava looked at him questioningly. "Do you believe what he said?"

Jack shook his head slowly. "I haven't the slightest idea. But the fact that he's back again can be quite a problem for some people."

"You mean the Graysons?"

He nodded. "And Charlotte. Actually, she's not a Grayson. She is David Clarke's biological daughter."

"And since he knows that, he might try to get in touch with her," she concluded. She saw Jack's mouth twitching. "What?" She asked confused.

"You'd have been a good detective," he said, smiling.

"That's because I have good insight into human nature and experience with criminals," she clarified, wishing she hadn't been so openhearted as she saw Jack's astonished gaze. "My past is my privacy. Just for the record."

He nodded slowly. "I didn't ask."

"But you have that peculiar look." She eyed him skeptically. "Maybe I'll tell you one day. But now there are more important things to do." She looked around. "Where's Daniel?"

Jack pointed to the buffet, where he was standing, obviously talking with his ex-girlfriend.

"Oh no ..." Sighing, she combed her hair with her fingers. "Can the day get any worse?" She saw Jack's wrinkled forehead and reached for his hand. "Come on, we have to get Emily out of the restroom and tell her what we know!" This time, she didn't flinch when he interlaced his fingers with hers and walked over to the restroom to free Emily.


	6. Family ties

**Beach House, Hamptons**

Slowly he went up the steps to the wooden house and then ran his hand over the balustrades until he reached the ledge with the engraved Infinity symbol. Closing his eyes and for a moment he was catapulted back into the past, when he had stood with Amanda on the terrace and painted the infinity symbol for her in the sand.

 _"I love you, Amanda! Infinity times infinity."_

He had said to her and meant it as well. But he couldn't keep his promise. Amanda was dead, and he could no longer tell her how much he had loved her. His hands clenched involuntarily. _It's their fault,_ he thought. The Graysons' fault. And they would pay for it. One after the other. He would destroy all of them. And then he would get back what they had stolen from him. His house, his life, his family... Slowly he opened his fist again and went over to the front door and peered through the window.

"What are you doing? This is a home invasion!"

Quickly he turned and looked into the angry eyes of a young woman with long, dark brown hair.

"Are you deaf? I asked what are you doing here?" She demanded.

He forced himself to a smile and slowly walked down the stairs, his hands extended in defensive posture. "I didn't want to break in," he said quietly. "I just wanted to look at the beautiful architecture of the house." He saw her confused face. "I'm the architect," he added quickly.

"You are...?" She stopped in the middle of the sentence and then cleared her throat. "I'm Charlotte," she introduced herself.

His daughter! For a moment, the desire to take revenge on Victoria was forgotten when he took a look at his beautiful almost grown-up daughter. She was the spitting image of Victoria. He had already been in prison when she was born. "David Clarke," he said in a hoarse voice, although he realized she had already guessed it.

"I don't understand..." She frowned. "Why do they say you're dead?"

He smiled, but this time without humor. "Maybe because they were hoping I was dead," he said simply. He saw Charlotte's shocked expression. "I've been away for a long time. Twenty years. There's not much hope that someone will return, who has been disappeared for so long," he added, more conciliatory.

She nodded. "So you managed to escape from jail after being stabbed?" It was more of a statement than a question.

David nodded and looked at her in amazement. "You seem to know a lot about it."

"I'm not a little child anymore!" She said defiantly. "You can talk to me about everything."

"You're 20?" He reckoned quickly.

"Not quite yet. In August, on the 22nd I will be 20."

He nodded. "There you can see how long I was gone." He gestured to the house. "Do you know who lives there?"

Charlotte nodded. "My brother Daniel and his family," she said. "They are at Jack Porter's birthday party at the Stowaway. I was actually invited as well, but I didn't feel like it. I rather wanted to look after Julian."

"The bar in Montauk?" David asked surprised.

"Exactly. They are celebrating his 30th birthday today. Julian is my nephew, by the way. And you may not know that, but Amanda had a son, too, Carl. He'll be two in the summer. He and Jack are living in a room above the bar."

"I just came from there." He smiled. "I've met Jack. He seems to be a nice guy."

"Yes, he is," she confirmed. "They were really very happy before the fate struck so cruel," she said sadly.

David nodded. "Jack told me about it. Really tragic."

Charlotte took a step towards him. "Do you want to come with me? My mother is definitely looking forward to seeing you again." She grimaced. "My dad's not there. He's on some business trip and won't come back until next week."

It was easier than he thought. "I don't know if your mother will be happy to see me. It's probably more of a shock because she thought I was dead. But I'd like to come along with you."

"Well, let's go then!"

As they went to the Manor, he wondered how the first meeting with Victoria would be. Victoria, his beloved, whom he had coveted and worshiped beyond measure. For her, he had even been willing to start a new life somewhere else. But she had decided for Conrad, the Grayson name, and the prosperity that came with it. She'd betrayed him like everyone else he'd trusted. And there was Conrad, who had framed him for a terrorist attack, which he himself had a hand in. He would pay for it! He made an oath as he walked with Charlotte to the Manor and then stood in front of the large entrance door.


	7. Talk

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

"The coast is clear. You can come out again."

Emily exhaled relieved, as Ava reappeared. She had been standing and waiting all the while in the restroom. She was still befuddled about the sudden appearance of her father. "Did you see him?" She asked nervously.

Ava nodded. "I even talked to him. You were right, it's David Clarke. He introduced himself to Jack and me."

"Oh my God!" Emily groaned. "I was hoping I was wrong." She shook her head slightly. "How is it possible that he survived?"

"I don't know. But he said that he had been in trouble with the law and therefore had stayed a long time abroad. He also said that he had traveled a lot. He didn't know Amanda was dead. Jack told him."

"How did he take it?"

Ava looked at her, frowning. "Well, as expected. She was his daughter after all. Of course, it made him feel low." She cleared her throat. "He called her his little girl."

Emily turned her wrist and looked at the Infinity symbol. Tears suddenly ran down her cheeks as she remembered how her father had told her the meaning at that time.

"Oh, Emily! I'm sorry!" Ava gently put an arm around her shoulder. "That was tactless of me. I didn't think about that he was referring to you."

"It's okay." Emily pulled a paper towel from the dispenser and dabbed her eyes carefully to prevent that she smeared her make-up. "I'm grateful to you for speaking to him. So at least I know that he still remembers me."

"He asked about the new owner of the beach house."

Emily eyes widened in alarm. "What did you say?"

"The question was directed to Jack, and he told him he didn't know." She sighed softly. "I don't think he was satisfied with the answer. Probably he will go to the beach house himself now to pay the new owner a visit."

Emily looked at her, horrified. "Then he will learn that I live there. What am I supposed to do?" She asked desperately.

"He doesn't know you're his daughter," Ava said. "Unless you want to tell him."

"No way!" Emily began to pace nervously back and forth. "He must never know! Amanda is dead. I'm not going to destroy what I've built up with Daniel!"

"Do you think he would leave you if he knew you are Amanda?" Ava asked, frowning.

Emily looked at her with a blank expression. "Maybe," she said slowly. "I have lied to him for years, and he has forgiven me. I don't know if he would forgive me another lie. I would also have to explain why I came to the Hamptons. He would find out that I wanted to take revenge on his parents and only used him. He's already so suspicious, anyway, after Victoria told him exactly that."

"What did she tell him?" Ava asked curiously.

"I don't know exactly," Emily admitted. "But today we had an argument about it. Victoria probably wanted to make him believe that I just came to the Hamptons to avenge myself on the Graysons. Of course I denied it. But I don't know if he believed me." She looked at Ava urgently. "Do you understand now why I can't reveal my true identity?"

Ava nodded. "What do you want to do now... with your father, I mean?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "When our eyes met at the door, I thought for a moment that he'd recognized me. But then he went on. Maybe I'm lucky and he doesn't recognize me anymore. Then I can continue to be Emily."

Ava pointed to her wrist. "You should have it removed or masked if you don't want him to know about your secret."

Emily looked thoughtful at her tattoo. "Yes, you're right. That would be too obvious."

"Are you ready to go back to the party?" Ava asked worried.

Emily nodded. "Yes, I'm ready."

As they stepped out of the door, Daniel approached them. "Emily! Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

"She just felt a little sick," Ava lied. "It's probably because of the bad air in here. You should take her home so she can rest a while."

Daniel nodded and took Emily's arm gently. "Then let's go home. We wanted to go to Julian anyway."

As he led her out, Emily glanced at Ava and Jack. She didn't know if and how long she could keep her true identity a secret. But at the moment she was just glad that Daniel was there for her. Out of impulse she leaned forward and kissed him.

"What did I do to deserve this?" He asked, looking confused.

"For trusting me," she said softly. She saw how he frowned and kissed him again. _I won't let my happiness be destroyed! By nothing and no one! I struggled too hard for it._ With this thought, she got into the car and let him take her home.


	8. Reunion

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

"Mom!" Charlotte entered the lobby and gestured David to follow her. She listened for a moment and added when she heard nothing, "I've brought a guest with me." She saw her mother coming downstairs, turning pale and clawing at her chest.

David realized the moment she turned pale that they should have announced his visit before. He jumped forward and caught her before she passed out. For a moment he held her helplessly in his arms, before Charlotte showed him the way to the living room, where he carefully placed her on the couch.

"It was probably rather a shock than a pleasant surprise," Charlotte said, looking down anxiously at her mother.

David nodded as he couldn't turn his gaze from the unconscious Victoria. _She's still as beautiful as back then,_ he thought. Maybe even more beautiful, more mature. Automatically, his fingers were skimming over her long hair, stroking her cheek, her chin, her lips... The emotions he had bottled-up so long broke free, and he held his breath for a moment. How could he have thought that her sight would leave him cold? He had loved her. He would have done anything for her. "Victoria..." he murmured, lost in thought. He looked up as Charlotte put a glass of water on the table.

"She should drink that after she came around," she said, sighing, brushing her long hair back. "Or should I call a doctor?"

David shook his head. "I'll take care of that." He bent down to her, whispering her name. When she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him, she saw confusion, pain, and disbelief.

"D-David...?" She stammered.

He nodded, smiling. "It's me and not a ghost." As she raised her hand and touched his cheek, he closed his eyes for a moment. The desire to pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately was suddenly overwhelming. Twenty years seemed to melt away. It was as if they had said goodbye to each other just yesterday.

Charlotte cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I think I'll leave you alone for a while," she said and then ran upstairs to her room.

"How is it possible that you survived?" She whispered, still bewildered by his appearance.

He helped her to sit up and then told her what happened to him the last few years. "Everyone thought that I'd been killed in jail. But actually I survived. I was seriously injured though. They took me to the hospital, where I escaped as I felt better. I went abroad, took on a new identity and stayed the past years in different countries, mainly in Europe. No one recognized me. They all thought I was dead. And no one had any doubts. It was too embarrassing for the prison authorities to confess that one of their detainees had fled, so they simply claimed that I had died during the attack."

Victoria shook her head incredulously. "Do you know who stabbed you back then?"

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before he answered. "Not the name, but I guess it was a contract killer who had been acting on behalf of your husband." He saw how she quickly lowered her head and gently cupped her chin. "I know you have nothing to do with it, Victoria. It was Conrad's doing."

"How long do you want to stay?"

He shrugged. "I don't know yet." _Until I've finished why I came for,_ he thought bitterly. "Surely for a while. I want to get to know my daughter better," he said with a smile. "She's so beautiful, Victoria. Just as beautiful as you." To reaffirm his words, he stroked her cheek and chin.

"Your new identity..." she began. "Will you keep it here, or would you like to tell the world that David Clarke is alive?"

"For the time being, I'm Robert Bellows." He ran his fingers through his beard. "That is why I wear a beard. So no one can recognize me." He shrugged. "It has worked for twenty years. Why should they recognize me now?"

She nodded. "Where will you live?"

"After I had made the decision to come out of my hiding, I had thought of moving back to the beach house. But I've learned that it's already inhabited."

"Yes, my son Daniel and his family live there," she confirmed.

"Daniel..." he suddenly remembered. "The little dark-haired boy who had his nose constantly in books."

Victoria nodded. "He has a little son of his own." She gestured upstairs. "He's sleeping in his nursery because his parents are at a party."

"Jack Porter's birthday," he confirmed, nodding. "I was at the bar. I wanted to visit Amanda."

"Oh David, I'm so sorry! She died last year." She looked at him sympathetically. "But I knew her. She and Charlotte were very close."

"She was also one of the reasons why I have returned. Perhaps it's not too late for Charlotte and me to be father and daughter."

She stood up. "I'll give instructions that a guest room is prepared for you. You can stay until Conrad returns from his business trip. After that... " She broke off and looked at him apologetically.

"I understand perfectly that you can't let me reside in the house when your husband is back. Don't worry. I'll find someplace else to stay."

"Conrad knows who you are," she said thoughtfully. "Aren't you afraid he could report you to the police? I don't know if a prison sentence can become time-barred, but you didn't serve your time."

"I was innocent, Victoria. Don't forget that. The person who was responsible is still running free." He saw that she flinched, and a sense of satisfaction came over him. _Yes, you should be afraid,_ he thought. "You know as well as I do that it's your husband who will be accused." _And if he goes to jail, you will lose everything, too!_ He saw her opening her mouth to say something, when the door suddenly swung open and someone came in.

"Mom, we're back. I wanted to pick up Julian..."

He jumped to his feet and looked into the dark brown eyes of a young man, who looked at him, frowning, before turning to his mother.

"Who is that?"


	9. Doubts

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

"Robert Bellows." David reached out to Daniel before Victoria could introduce them.

"My son Daniel," Victoria said, letting her eyes wander nervously from one to the other. "Robert is... a friend of your father and me from... former times. He's visiting us and will stay a few days," she said hesitantly.

David noticed Daniel observing him critically, and suddenly he felt uncomfortable. Could it be that he recognized him, although he was still a little boy when he was arrested?

"Where's Emily?" Victoria asked, frowning.

"She didn't feel well and wanted to lay down. She asked me to pick up Julian."

Victoria pointed upstairs. "I don't know if this is a good idea. He just fell asleep. Let him stay for the night," she suggested. "I'll bring him to you tomorrow morning."

"Fine with me." Daniel gave the stranger a scrutinizing look before he left the house and went over to the beach house.

Victoria breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you think he has noticed anything?" She asked, looking at David worriedly.

"At least he was suspicious." He scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Maybe he saw me in the bar. I just can't remember him though. But that doesn't mean anything. The bar was crowded with people."

"Come with me!" She held out her hand. "I'll show you the room where you can sleep."

When he took her hand, he wondered if it would be so easy to keep his true identity a secret. Too many people had known him here and some already knew who he really was, like Jack Porter and Charlotte. People whom he trusted. And although he could mask his appearance with the beard and the longer hair, it couldn't be completely ruled out that his camouflage would leak some day. Deep in thoughts, he followed Victoria up the stairs.

 **Beach House**

When Daniel returned to the beach house, he had expected to find Emily asleep, but she was sitting in the living room, with the TV running, staring with a blank expression at the monitor. "Are you feeling better?" He sat down beside her and took the remote control out of her hands.

"What?" She looked up startled.

He gently stroked a strand of hair from her face. "What's going on? You've been so distant the whole evening."

"I'm just tired." She closed her eyes and leaned back.

"Then I don't know what you're doing here." He frowned at her. "You should be in bed."

She nodded and then rose hesitantly. "Where is Julian?"

"My mother said it would be better if he stayed overnight at the Manor. He's just fallen asleep and she didn't want to wake him up." He cleared his throat. "Speaking of the Manor," he began. "She was not alone when I entered the house. She has a visitor..."

"Visitor?" She raised her head questioningly. "Who is it?"

"No idea." He shrugged. "But I find it funny that she has a male visitor, while my dad is on a business trip."

"Male... visitor?" Emily just stared at him. "What did he look like?"

Daniel thought for a moment. "Tall, dark-blond hair, unkempt, beard..." He stopped in the middle of the sentence as he saw Emily running out onto the terrace and standing there bending over the balustrade. "Hey, what is it?" Worried, he rushed to her and put his arm around her to steady her.

"I just needed... fresh air..."

He immediately recognized that she was just about to have a panic attack. Even during her amnesia, she often had problems with it, and the doctor had told him at that time that she would probably suffer from it when she had stress. He reacted spontaneously, when he picked her up and carried her back into the house. "Em, you're trembling!" He carried her upstairs to the bedroom and laid her carefully on the bed.

"Julian..." she said weakly. "Please bring him over..."

Frowning, he looked down at her and then nodded hesitantly. "Okay. I'll get him."

When he had left the house, Emily sat up and buried her face in her hands. Victoria Grayson's visitor was her father. There was no doubt about that. But how was she supposed to keep her true identity hidden in front of him when he practically lived with her door to door? The idea that Julian was being presented to him was almost intolerable. Grandfather and grandson. Would he be able to recognize in Julian features of himself? Would his instinct tell him that this was the son of his daughter? And again she wondered why he had returned. Was it because of Charlotte, because of Victoria, or Conrad? A terrible thought suddenly crossed her mind: Could it be that he was here to take revenge on those who had brought him to jail? Did he want to continue where she had left? _No!_ She shook her head. It couldn't be. Her kind, loving father was not capable of taking revenge. In his diaries he had begged her to put the whole thing to rest. He wanted peace, not war. And he wanted her to leave the path of retribution, find love and settle down. All things she had achieved and for what she would fight for. She went downstairs and entered the terrace. And as she looked over to the Manor, she saw him standing on the small balcony to Victoria's bedroom, looking over to the beach house. Even if they were a distance away from each other, his eyes held hers captive.

"Emily?"

Frightened, she looked up as Daniel ascended the stairs, the sleeping baby in his arms. She glanced to the balcony one last time and then took her son out of his arms and carried him back into the house.


	10. Forbidden Emotions

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

"Amanda ..." he whispered, and for a moment he was young again. He and his daughter were standing on the terrace of the beach house; She looked up at him with her dark brown eyes, her blond curls tied together with two butterfly-shaped hair clips.

 _"I love you sooo much!"_

She spread her arms to demonstrate how great her love was for him... He felt his eyes getting wet and closed them to banish the picture from his mind.

"David?"

He opened his eyes abruptly as Victoria stepped behind him. "I thought I had seen Amanda," he whispered, turning to her. "The memory of her still hurts."

"She didn't have a very long life," Victoria said quietly. "But during that time she was happy. I think she really loved Jack Porter. And it meant a lot to her to get to know her sister."

"I wish I'd have come back earlier to get to know her better. We could have made up for the lost time." He glanced at the beach house with a sad expression. "Has she ever lived there?"

Victoria shook her head. "Almost four years ago, Emily moved in after Lydia Davis had lived there years before," she explained. "As fate willed, she fell in love with my son." She rolled her eyes. "They got married, got a son and now live together in the beach house."

He looked at her, frowning. "Sounds to me that you don't like your daughter-in-law."

"Emily is a money-grubbing, power-crazed bitch!" She said scornfully. "She manipulated Daniel because the only thing she was interested in was power and the Grayson name. From the beginning she had been trying to marry into a rich family." She wrinkled her nose. "For a while, it looked as if he had finally realized that she was only playing games with him. But then she became pregnant..." With a theatrical gesture she skimmed through her long, dark hair. "Of course, everything was planned long beforehand if you ask me." She raised her eyebrows. "She's doing nothing without an ulterior motive. And naturally, Daniel couldn't disown his own flesh and blood. So now they live together and play family."

Almost much the same as Victoria's own situation 20 years earlier, it crossed his mind, after she had finished her report. She had decided for Conrad because of the Grayson name and the wealth. She had chosen fame and fortune rather than love. And she still lived in that loveless marriage because she didn't want to live without the amenities. When he looked around the Manor, he could understand why. He should have known at the time that she would never give up her comfort. After all, he'd met her at a party that the rich Graysons had hosted.

"Are you shocked now?" She frowned at him as she didn't get a response from him.

He shook his head slowly. "No. I had to go through so much, nothing can unsettle me so easily," he admitted. He looked at her with a serious face. "Can you show me the place where my daughter was buried?"

Victoria nodded. "She... was buried next to you," she said hesitantly. "At that time we wanted you two to be united in death."

He wiped his eyes from tears, but he couldn't stop them. Slowly they were rolling over his cheeks, were dripping on his shirt and soaking him. Suddenly he felt arms around him and looked up surprised. She had lifted her head at the same time, and when they looked into each other's eyes, he recognized the feelings they felt for each other. "Victoria..." He cupped her chin and then put his lips gently on hers. He had only wanted to taste her lips after this long time, but as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, she lit a fire in him that he could no longer control. He pushed her from the balcony towards the bedroom and began to open the zipper of her dress with unsteady fingers until it slid from her shoulders and fell to the floor. _How beautiful she is_ , he thought, as he felt how his excitement grew from second to second. In a flash he freed himself from his clothes, sank with her onto the bed, tightly embraced and naked, and they were caught in a vortex of emotions.


	11. Nightmare

**Beach House, Hamptons**

Restlessly, Emily was tossing and turning in her bed while she was haunted by a nightmare.

 _"What do you like better, Dad? Sea-glass or starfish?"_

 _"Starfish definitely. Can you look after Sammy for me?"_

Masked police officers burst into the room, seized him and pushed him to the ground. And there were also hands that grabbed her and carried her away from him, although she tried to fight back with all her strength of her nine years of life… _"Daddy!"_

She felt arms encircle her again and began to struggle against it. She wanted to stay. She didn't want to go back to the mental hospital! Tears of helplessness ran down her cheeks as she finally awoke and stared into worried, dark eyes. "D-Daniel?" She stammered, slumping exhausted against him.

"You had a bad dream," he stated, gently touching her back. "Do you remember what you dreamed?"

She shook her head, though it was etched in her mind. It hadn't been a nightmare. It was reality, only about twenty years ago. At that time her father had been arrested for a crime he hadn't committed. And they had not only taken away her father, but also her home, her childhood and youth.

"Em?" He stroked a strand of hair from her sweaty forehead. "What's going on? You've been nervous and scared since yesterday, and now this nightmare..." He frowned. "Is it because what I told you about my mother?"

She raised her head and looked at him thoughtfully. Perhaps it would be better if he believed that. Everything was better than the truth. "I... thought since we'd talked to each other she had accepted me," she began. "I wanted to have a good relationship with her, first and foremost because of Julian. He needs his grandmother."

"Just don't listen to what she claims." He put his hand to her neck and pulled her closer until he could look into her eyes. "I don't believe her anyway," he said softly. "She has always tried to manipulate others and make them look bad. Don't take it personally." He shrugged.

She took his hands. "You have to believe me when I tell you that I've become a new person," she said emphatically. "I've done many things in the past that I'm not proud of. But I'm no longer the Emily you met four years ago. The Grayson name means nothing to me. I would also want to be with you if you were not a Grayson. Because I love _you_ and not your name!"

"I believe you. Don't you think I would be with you if I believed my mother's lies?" He leaned forward and gave her a kiss.

"Then let's go somewhere," she suggested spontaneously, following an inner inspiration. "Do you remember how we made plans to move to Paris? Why don't we go somewhere where nobody knows the Graysons?"

"You want to leave for good?" He looked at her in amazement.

 _Maybe it's the best_ , she thought. Now that her father was back again and she didn't know how long he would stay. The longer he stayed, the more likely they would meet in person. "It doesn't have to be Paris," she said. "But now I'm ready to start a new life, apart from everything."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't just leave," he said hesitantly. "I'm the chief editor of the 'Voulez' and responsible for our office in New York. Margaux is already in Paris. We don't need another one there. Besides, I don't know if such a change is good for Julian. Not to mention the fact, that I find it quite convenient that my parents and Charlotte are just around the corner and can take care of him."

"We can also find someone to take care of him elsewhere."

"You don't want to stay here, right?" He looked at her, frowning.

She shook her head. "Now that I know your mother hates me, it's a strange feeling to live so close to her," she confessed.

"She doesn't hate you. She just doesn't always agree with you. And she loves her grandson. Believe me, you'd break her heart if you take him away from her."

She knew he was right. She had watched the two of them. Victoria loved Julian just the same as she hated his mother. It was strange how ambivalent feelings could be. But probably it was because she saw Daniel as a baby in him and not her. But if she stayed, how could she go on, living next door to her father, who never had to know she was his daughter? She looked at the clock. "Too early to get up," she said, cuddling back into bed. "If I'm not wrong, then you have about two hours to get up." She grinned at him, laughing as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his bedside.

"Do you have anything specific in mind how we could kill the time until then?" He said, smirking, stroking his hand alongside her thighs.

"Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind..." she breathed, and turned to him as he pushed her night shirt up, until her upper body was exposed.

"Much better than jogging..." he murmured before he went on exploring her soft skin, inspired by her moans of pleasure.

Half an hour later she lay there, wide-eyed, Daniel's body tightly against hers. She was afraid to go back to sleep. Afraid of experiencing once again what she had already experienced as a child. She heard Daniel's steady breathing and smiled involuntarily. Maybe she couldn't solve all the problems in one day. But at least she had won back his trust, what meant more to her than anything else. She reached for his arm which was encircling her waist and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	12. Fruition

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

David stroked a strand of hair from Victoria's forehead and then kissed her there. "I can't believe it really happened," he said, looking at her affectionately. "You don't believe how often I've been thinking about this situation during the past twenty years; You in my arms, the two of us, finally reunited."

She cuddled closer to him. "I felt the same way," she whispered, stroking his chest. "I never stopped loving you," she confessed.

He looked at her in amazement. "But you chose Conrad."

She nodded, sighing. "Yes, what I have regretted more than once in those twenty years. I thought at that time it would be better to stay with him. There was Daniel and..."

"...the whole wealth that I couldn't provide you," he concluded the sentence.

"Yes, that too," she confessed, avoiding his gaze. "You don't understand how it is to suddenly lose everything." She sat up and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. "Conrad threatened me to take Daniel away from me if I was going with you. I couldn't let him take my child away from me! My baby! He was only six years old back then."

"Amanda was nine." He looked at her with a serious face. "Do you think it was easy for me to leave her?"

"No, of course not." She shook her head. "But I didn't have the strength to fight him. And when I was finally ready, I learned that you had been murdered..." Her voice broke and she quickly wiped a tear from her eye. "Believe me, if I could turn back the time, I'd decide for you!"

"Also at the risk of losing your son and all the amenities that the life as a Grayson brings with it?" He asked doubtfully.

"Even then." She nodded resolutely. "You can't imagine how terrible it is to live twenty years in a loveless marriage!"

"I've lived for twenty years without love," he said softly, putting his arm around her waist. "I know how it is."

"There was no one after me?" She asked in astonishment.

"No." He raised her chin and kissed her tenderly. "How could I ever live with another woman, when I only loved you."

"Oh David..." She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss fervently.

It was more than sex, when they loved each other again passionately. It was a fusion of two souls that had finally come together again.

"I'm not going to let you go again," he said, gently kissing her shoulder.

"You don't have to," she said, still agitated by his tenderness. "I'll ask Conrad for a divorce."

"You know he won't give up on you without a fight," he said. "He didn't have it at the time, and he won't do it now."

"You're probably right. But now he won't have any power over me. Daniel is an adult and Charlotte is also becoming a major in a few months. He can't threaten me or give me any orders."

"You are ready to leave the Hamptons with me?" He asked in astonishment.

"I'll go where ever you want," she confirmed.

A satisfied smile played around his mouth. It had actually been easier than he had thought. Victoria had handed herself to him on a silver platter. And he hadn't even had to do much for it. But this was only the beginning to take revenge on Conrad Grayson. He wouldn't only take his wife away but also his power position, Grayson Global and ultimately the rest of his pitiful life! He would get everything back. Gently, he stroked Victoria's cheek and then stood up. "I think I need a little cooling," he said, grinning at her.

"Where are you going?" She asked as he pushed the blanket back and got out of bed.

"Swimming." He smiled at her. "There's nothing better after sex than a swim in the ocean." He leaned forward and kissed her again before he went into the bathroom, grabbed a towel and headed for the beach.


	13. Yearning

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

Ava entered the bar and then stood rooted to the spot, when she saw how spick and span everything was. She had expected to clean up after the party from the evening before. But apparently the other hardworking helper had done the job. She went to the tables, put the chairs down, and placed them neatly.

"Good morning!" With a big smile, Jack came down the stairs.

"Good morning!" She was annoyed that her pulse was getting faster again. But he looked really incredibly good in his white shirt and the black jeans. His hair was still slightly moist and curled in the neck, he probably came from the shower. As he came closer, she inadvertently caught the tangy cedar fragrance of his aftershave. "Someone was already busy," she said, pointing to the clean floor.

"The cleaning crew that I had hired brought me out of bed early." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I had hoped for a few hours of sleep. Guess I have to catch up on it another time."

"Is Carl already awake?" She gestured to the top.

Jack nodded. "I've already taken him to the daycare. After that, I had to take care of myself." He looked at his watch. "You're way too early," he said, frowning.

"Yes, I know. But I thought I could help with the cleanup. After all, I belong to the staff and I'm as responsible to the bar's state as the owner." She said, raising her eyebrows.

"That's what I call dedication for the job." He nodded approvingly and then spread his arms. "As you can see, it's all done." He looked at her thoughtfully. "Do you want to go to the beach?" He suggested spontaneously.

She looked at him surprised. She had noticed that he had become more relaxed with her since last night. And she had to admit that she had enjoyed his closeness very much. Both shared a secret now, which made things even more exciting. _Be careful, Ava!_ She warned herself. _You know where that can lead if you are too trustworthy._ "Yes, I would like that." The words were out before she could stop them.

"Wait a moment!"

Perplexed, she looked after him as he ran upstairs and then came back with an empty canning jar.

"What is it for?" She asked curiously.

"Sea glass, shells, or starfish," he said, smiling. "Actually everything you can find on the beach."

"This is a nice idea. We can take them as a decoration for the tables," she suggested.

"We..." he muttered, looking at her thoughtfully.

"What?" Confused, she blinked at him.

"We," he repeated. "You spoke about us in the third person."

Ava felt her heart throbbing nervously as their eyes locked. Nolan had been right with his claim that Jack felt more for her than a boss for his employee. But could she allow that, even though she wanted to? She moistened her dry lips. "Didn't we want to go to... to the beach?" She stammered.

Jack tore his eyes away from her. "Yes, let's go."

At this time there was almost nobody on the beach. Only a few joggers and dog owners who walked their dogs. Ava sat down on a tree trunk and looked out into the ocean. "How peaceful it is," she said, breathing in the fresh sea air.

"Yeah, it's beautiful here early in the morning, just after sunrise." He sat down beside her and took some sand and let it trickle through his fingers. "I'm often on the beach. My wife and I got married here," he said quietly.

Ava felt her stomach tighten. She remembered the tragic circumstances of her death; Amanda Porter, the real Emily Thorne. When she looked up at Jack, she spotted tears in his eyes. Instinctively, she laid her hand on his. "I am so sorry! Nolan told me about it. What a terrible loss!" As he raised his head and met her eyes, she knew the inevitable would happen. She closed her eyes and waited with an excited, beating heart that he would kiss her.

"Since the moment I saw you the first time, I wanted to do it," he whispered and leaned forward to touch her lips with his.

Although she had expected the kiss, she was shocked about the fierceness of her own physical reaction. Scarcely his lips had touched hers, she felt her pulse throbbing violently, her body automatically pushing against him and her knees softening. She was glad that she was sitting, because otherwise her knees would have given way under her.

"Ava..." he moaned as he ran his fingers through her long hair and kissed her fervently.

Everything in her longed for his kisses and his sensual touch. She had waited so long for physical pleasures that she was completely famished. But the little bit of will power ordered her to stop. Gently but firmly she pushed against his chest, until he finally interrupted the kiss. "Not here," she said softly.

He immediately understood and jumped up. "We have time yet to open the bar," he said, still struggling for air and reached for her hand.

Although an inner voice warned her not to rush things between them, she grabbed his hand and walked with him across the beach, along the harbor, back to the Stowaway.


	14. Déjà Vu

**On the Beach**

She loved the morning mood on the beach, when everything was quiet and only the waves, as they rushed towards the shore, were heard. It was also this time when she preferred to swim. Emily unfurled her blanket, put her towel and baby phone on it, and took off her shirt. Daniel went to work an hour ago, and Julian slept peacefully. So enough time for her to bathe a little in the waves. She ran into the water without stopping, and dived into the next wave. She didn't pay attention to what was happening around her as she dived again and then followed the stream with steady-going crawl movements. She didn't realize how far she had swum when she couldn't feel any contact with the ground. A sense of panic came over her, but she tried to fight it. If she didn't keep a cool head now, she would drown! She had to go back to the shore! She tried to swim in the other direction, but the waves carried her farther and farther out. When the next wave pushed her under water and she no longer believed in surviving, suddenly strong arms encircled her and lifted her to the surface and brought her back to the shore. Coughing and water spitting, she crawled the last meters to the dry land and then fell down on her back, where she remained, with her eyes closed.

"Everything okay? Are you all right?"

She saw a face that bent over her, but she couldn't see it because of the dazzling sunbeams.

"Shall I call a doctor?"

She slowly shook her head and then placed her hand on her forehead to see better. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized who had been her savior. She had the 'Dad' already on her tongue, but she swallowed it down. A strange déjà vu feeling came over her as she stared into his blue eyes. Once again he had saved her from drowning. She remembered the first time when her mentally ill mother had tried to drown her. "Th-thank you, I'm fine," she said, with difficulty, and sat up.

"Are you sure?"

She saw the doubt in his eyes and nodded.

"It was unreasonable to swim that far out," he said with a reproachful look.

She stroked a damp strand of hair from her forehead and noticed how her hands were trembling. "I'm actually a good swimmer," she said defensively. "I don't know why I swam that far out today."

He held out his hand. "David Clarke," he introduced himself.

"Emily Grayson." She hesitated before she took his hand and held it for a moment. _It's me, Daddy!_ she thought. _Don't you recognize me?_

He pointed to the beach house. "You are Victoria's daughter-in-law," he stated. "You're the new owner of the beach house."

She nodded. "I know you used to live there, too," she said.

"With my daughter Amanda, yes," he confirmed. "It was more than twenty years ago."

She saw him looking at her, curiously, scrutinizing, and she wondered if he had recognized her. For a moment, she fought with herself to tell him that she was actually Amanda, his daughter. But she thought about the consequences what it would mean for Daniel, his parents and Charlotte. She could lose everything. No, the price was just too high. She shook her head slightly, and saw his brow furrow.

"No, you don't want to have a coffee with me?" He asked, surprised.

"Pardon?" She hadn't even listened when he asked her the question. "Oh... coffee... yes, why not?" She forced a smile. "Maybe with some cake? I have to thank you for saving my life."

He rose and ran a hand though his short, wet hair. "That's the least you can do," he said, smiling.

Emily felt a stab in her heart as she saw his smile. She was suddenly reminded again of how much fun they once had, how often they had laughed. David Clarke had not only been her father but also her familiar, her friend. She could trust him. And he had protected her until he had been arrested. She suddenly longed to get it all back. "At my place," she said. "Tomorrow, four o'clock in the afternoon?"

He nodded. "I'll be there."

When she took his hand she wondered how she should proceed, now that she had let him back into her life. She reached for her towel and the baby phone. "See you tomorrow!" She didn't look behind as she went back to the beach house, but she could feel his gaze, which followed her until she had disappeared into the house.


	15. Truth

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

Victoria was already fully dressed and sat at the breakfast table when David returned to the manor. She looked at him reproachfully. "I thought you were drowned!" She said, not very pleased.

"Not me, but almost your daughter-in-law," he explained, reaching for the bread basket to take a croissant.

"What does that mean?" She looked at him, confused.

"She swam a bit too far out," he began to tell. "She probably overestimated her swimming skills. I pulled her out before anything worse could happen."

"Have you introduced yourself to her?"

He nodded and looked at her thoughtfully. Why he had told her his real name, he didn't know. The fewer people knew about his real identity, the better. But he had reacted spontaneously. It had just felt right to reveal his true identity to her. His instinct told him that he could trust her.

"She knows you're David Clarke?" Victoria's eyes widened in horror. "You told Daniel you were Robert Bellows." She shook her head. "He knows now that you lied!"

He began to spread butter on his croissant. "I just didn't think it through," he admitted. "Perhaps it's the closeness to the beach house, the beach or the ocean itself. I can feel things there I have long forgotten. It was a good feeling to talk to someone, without lying." He looked at her with a serious face. "I've been hiding for so long and always lied. You almost forget how to tell the truth."

"But it's also dangerous," she said, gazing at him with a meaningful look.

"Yes." He sighed softly. "That's true. But I think I can trust her."

Victoria laughed. "Are you kidding me? Especially after what I told you about Emily. She had wormed her way into my family! She had used Daniel for years and manipulated him!" She said in a sharp voice. "And you trust that woman?"

He just stared at her and wondered why Emily Grayson had awakened protective feelings in him. He didn't even know her. But he felt a bond which he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was because the situation had been so familiar to him. Twenty years ago, he had saved Amanda from drowning. Emily Grayson had just looked like her when she had lain there, with her eyes closed, her hair fanning around her. For a moment he had seen Amanda lying there again, his little girl. And he had had to squint twice to get back to reality. "Should I have let her drown?" He asked, looking at her reproachfully

"Of course not." She rolled her eyes. "But a little more distance would be reasonable."

"I'm wondering how you tolerate her here, when you dislike her that much," he said hesitantly. "The Victoria, whom I knew from before, would probably have chased her away."

She reached for a croissant and covered it with jam before she answered. "If I do, Daniel will go with her, and they will take Julian with them. Then I lose not only my son but also my grandson." She sighed deeply. "I can't take a chance. So I keep my mouth shut and leave it to that. However, I keep an eye on her. She won't deceive me again."

He looked at her for a moment thoughtfully, then put the rest of his croissant into his mouth. "I'll take a shower," he said, rising to go upstairs.

When he was standing in the shower, letting the hot water run over his body, he wondered what Emily Grayson had done to make Victoria so upset. Was she really that deceitful and mendacious as Victoria claimed? He got a different impression from her. _Perhaps I would learn more about her, if I would drink coffee with her the next day,_ he thought. Something that he shouldn't mention in Victoria's presence. He stepped out of the shower, toweled himself and got dressed hurriedly, before he went back to Victoria.


	16. Friendship with benefits

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

"It's not my nature to jump into bed with a man at the first date."

Jack paused for a moment to kiss her neck and looked at her. "I didn't think that."

"I should go now." She wanted to slip out of the bed, but he held onto her.

"Hey! Have I done anything wrong to cause this?"

He gazed at her with a look that made her wanting to cuddle back into his arms. But that thing with her and Jack had to remain a one-time thing. She was not ready for more. And she clearly got the impression that sex alone was not enough for him. "It was nice. I enjoyed the time with you very much. But now I have to go." She jumped out of bed before he could take hold of her again.

"Wait...!" He also jumped out of bed, quickly grabbed his pants and went towards her. "What's the matter?" He asked, frowning. "I didn't feel that I had to force you to do anything. You wanted it as much as I did."

She reached for her clothes and dressed with trembling hands. "No, you didn't force me." She lowered her head so that she didn't have to look into his eyes. "I wanted it, too. But... it doesn't mean anything. It was just sex."

"Just sex, then..." He stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "Will that be the basis of our relationship now?"

She raised her head and looked at him. A mistake, as she realized immediately, because he had nothing else to wear except for his pants, and she could see the scratches on his upper body and shoulders, which she had inflicted on him with her fingernails. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry..." She murmured ashamed. "I don't know what came over me."

He took a step towards her. "Nolan told me about your past...," he began reluctantly.

Her head jerked up and she looked at him with wide eyes. "He didn't have any right to tell you about it!" She said furiously. "I told him in confidence."

"Don't blame him. I forced him to give me an answer until he gave in." He took a deep breath. "I felt something for you, from the moment you stepped over the threshold of my bar," he said. "And even if you behaved in a stand-offish way, I felt that there was a connection between us."

 _He felt it too_ , she thought in amazement. "And then you asked Nolan, if I have a boyfriend." That was a statement, not a question.

He nodded. "I just wanted to know what I'm letting myself in for..." He cleared his throat. "...before I made a pass at you."

Involuntarily she had to smile. "This is almost like asking the father for permission before marrying his daughter."

"Well, not quite like that." He had to laugh at her comparison. "I wouldn't have seduced you if you had a boyfriend."

"Hey, I've seduced you," she corrected smiling.

"I didn't mean in bed." He smirked at her mischievously. "I was referring to the date on the beach."

"So you were actually planning to seduce me there?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

He took another step towards her and put his hand in her neck. "I just wanted to know if you feel the same way. And when you returned my kiss, I knew."

She leaned her forehead against his. "I don't want to hurt you," she said softly. "You mean too much to me. But more than sex..." She took a deep breath. "...I can't give you more than that at the moment. I'm not ready for a serious relationship."

He nodded and raised his head to look at her. "I can't say I'm happy about it, but you should know I won't rush you," he said sincerely. "I don't know how I would react if my wife had betrayed me the way your fiance did."

She lowered her head and reached for his hands. "You're very different from him," she said softly. "At first I wanted to stay away from you because you reminded me so much of him. But I realized soon enough that you were nothing like him."

"So we're something like friends with benefits?"

She shrugged. "Yes, something like that."

"All right. After we had clarified this now," he began hesitantly. "Would you like to stay with me for a little longer?"

She nodded. After she had undressed herself and slipped back into bed, she thought about how to proceed in their relationship now that she decided to make it all about physical pleasures. Her brooding was interrupted as Jack pulled her closer and sealed her lips with a kiss.


	17. Realization

**Beach House, Hamptons**

Emily couldn't remember the last time when she was this nervous. Several eggs had landed on the floor by trying to make a cake dough. And instead of sugar she almost added salt, which she fortunately had noticed in time. But that was not all. She had tipped over a vase, which she had just filled with water to put fresh flowers in and had to clean up everything again. And there was still time until 4 o'clock. She was glad Daniel was at the editorial office. So she didn't have to lie about her guest. On the pretext of going shopping, she had also managed to coax Charlotte into babysitting Julian. So everything was perfectly organized for a reunion with her father. Sighing, she looked around the kitchen. The cake baking had left traces. She was just about to pick up the broken eggs from the floor as she heard a knock at the door. Startled, she looked to the main entrance and realized that it was in fact her father, a little earlier than planned. She rose, threw the cloth with the eggs in the trash can and went to the door and opened it.

"I'm sorry," he said, contrite. "I know I'm too early. But Victoria is at the hair salon, and I could sneak out of the house unnoticed."

"It's fine. Come in!" She opened the door a little further so that he could enter. Then she watched him look around and saw a wistful smile appearing on his lips. She knew how he felt. It was the same for her when she came back to that place, almost four years ago.

"Nothing has changed," he said quietly, walking through the open spaces.

"I didn't change anything when I moved in here," she said softly. How could she with the memory of her childhood and father in her mind? She gestured to the dining table. "Let's sit down! I made a cake."

He took a seat and smiled. "You could smell that from outside."

It was strange to sit with him at a table, as if time had stood still. They had often sat together and eaten there, or even played board games. Childhood memories, which meant a lot to her. She wanted to learn more about him, for example, what had happened to him since his imprisonment. "You said you lived here with your daughter many years ago?" She began with her interrogation.

He nodded. "Yes, it's been twenty years now. Amanda was just a child then."

For a moment, Emily wondered what she could tell him that he wouldn't get suspicious. "I've known Amanda," she said. "We were friends." It was not even a lie, because Emily and her had become friends in the juvie before they decided to change their identities. "I'm Carl's godmother," she added as he looked at her calmly.

"I'd like to get to know him if Jack allows it," he said.

The way he looked at her made her heart beating faster. If she had recognized him, maybe he had recognized her, too. She cleared her throat. "Coffee or tea?" She offered him.

"Coffee."

She was glad that she could stand up and make herself useful. So perhaps he didn't notice how agitated she felt. But when she poured him coffee, her hands were trembling so much that she spilled some coffee on the table. "Oh no! I'm sorry!" She ran back and took a dish cloth. "I don't know why I'm so clumsy today."

"No problem." He took the cloth from her hand and wiped the wet coffee spot on the table himself.

As he raised his head and watched her again with this piercing look, she felt a stab in her heart. Why couldn't she tell him who she really was, if she wanted nothing more than that?

"I'd like to visit Amanda's grave," he said out of the blue.

 _I'm not dead! I'm alive!_ It shouted within her. The situation, which she believed to have under control, became increasingly weird and the desire to tell him the truth grew steadily. She knew she couldn't bear it much longer. His close proximity raised too many memories. She pushed the chair back and rose. "Let's go!" She said curtly.

He looked at her, surprised. "What right now? I thought we wanted to eat the cake and drink coffee."

"Later." She reached for a jacket and her car keys. "The cemetery is not far from here. We still have to drive a few miles by car." She was aware of his scrutinizing gaze, which had been resting on her the whole time while driving to the cemetery. She deliberately avoided looking him straight in the eye. She was afraid of what she was going to see there. When they reached the graveyard, she got out and waited for him to follow her. A few minutes later they stood together in front of the two graves, with the grave stones embedded in the ground and the inscriptions 'David Clarke' and 'Amanda Clarke'.

She felt his eyes resting on her again and turned to him slowly. "They are both still alive," she said softly, then lowered her head. She had fought for a long time, whether she should tell him the truth. And although she was aware of the consequences of her decision, she felt that she had done the right thing. As his hand groped for her, she closed her eyes. She had known or better had felt that he had recognized the truth. She closed her hand around his.

"Amanda..." he whispered, then turned towards her. "I wasn't sure," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "I couldn't grasp the feelings that I had. But just now, I knew it all at once." He took both of her hands. "My Amanda," he said gently. "I've finally found you again after all these years!"

"Daddy..." Despite all her reservations, she let herself be pulled into his arms and wrapped hers around his waist. "I missed you so much!" Tears came into her eyes as he returned the embrace. She didn't know how long they'd been standing there, tightly hugging each other. But finally he stepped back and looked at her with a serious face.

"David and Amanda Clarke are finally reunited," he said firmly, looking down at the two graves.

She looked at him, frowning. Something in his voice made her shiver for a moment. But she pushed her brooding thoughts aside. A new life lay ahead for them, freed from their past life and freed from lies. And with that thought she snuggled back into his arms and tried to forget everything just for the moment.


	18. Vengeance

**Beach House, Hamptons**

They went back to the beach house after they had left the cemetery. There was so much that they had to talk about with each other. Only it was almost impossible to resume twenty years in a few hours. Emily couldn't ask enough questions, and David gave willingly answers. The bond they had felt from the beginning allowed them to talk about everything.

"Now you know how I've spent my time during the last few years," Emily finished her story, then looked at him with a serious face. "Maybe you understand now why I don't want anybody to know of my true identity."

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "So you stopped with taking revenge on them?" He summarized again.

Emily nodded. "I've realized how many people I hurt, who had nothing to do with it. Besides, this hate for everyone and everything has almost destroyed me. I am happy now. I have Daniel, Julian, and with Victoria... I can get out of her way if I want." She shrugged. "Not everything is perfect, but I've learned to compromise."

He took a sip from his cup and set it off again. "If you had gone through what I had experienced, you wouldn't have been so quick to forgive everyone," he said in a calm voice.

"Why did you come back?" She asked bluntly. They had mainly talked about the time after his arrest, and Emily's life in foster homes and juvie. They had completely ignored the topic of why he had returned.

"You really want to know?"

She nodded, feeling a strange uneasiness.

"Well..." he began. "First of all, I wanted to see my daughter again." He smiled at her. "What I've done now. And secondly..." He took a deep breath before he spoke. "...I'm going to reclaim everything what was stolen from me twenty years ago."

In his statement was so much determination and hatred that Emily flinched. "What... what does that mean?" She could tell from his expression that he was struggling to tell her the truth, but he decided against it.

"I think it's better if I go now." He jumped up from the chair and walked quickly to the door.

"Dad!" She ran after him and reached for his arm. "Wait!"

Slowly he turned to her. "I won't give your secret away," he said quietly. "But stay out of my business!"

The look from his blue eyes left no room for doubt of the seriousness of his words, and a shiver ran down her spine. As he turned and walked away, she suddenly realized the truth why he had come back. It was for the same reason why she had come to the Hamptons four years ago; To take revenge on those who had framed him. And since she had already avenged herself on most of them, only the Graysons remained. She stepped on the porch and stared across to the manor, where he walked over in swiftly strides. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her body. This was no longer her loving and caring father. His eyes, which had always looked kind, had gotten a harshness that frightened her. What did he mean that he would reclaim everything? She didn't know how long she had been standing on the porch when she suddenly saw a movement on the balcony to Victoria's bedroom. She wanted to turn away, but she stood riveted to the spot. Stunned, she watched her father and Victoria embracing and kissing each other. She knew now what he meant with that he would reclaim everything. He would sneak into the family just as she had back then. With the difference she used Daniel and not Victoria. It was Conrad he wanted to take vengeance on, she finally realized the moment she watched the two of them. He had lost Victoria to Conrad at that time. And the same man had also put him in jail. _Should I warn my father-in-law?_ She asked herself. _Should I divulge his plan to Daniel?_ She denied the question for herself. Too much was at stake. What if her identity would leak out? But could she allow her father to take revenge on the Graysons? They were her family now, after all. She closed her eyes. She had to think about everything before she did something rash. Slowly she went back into the house and closed the door behind her.

 **Grayson Manor**

"Where have you been?" Victoria gave David a taunting look as he entered her bedroom.

He stepped onto the balcony and pointed down. "At the beach house," he explained. "Your daughter-in-law invited me. She wanted to thank me for saving her life."

"You've been with Emily the whole time?" She asked surprised.

He nodded, then pulled her into his arms, though he knew Emily could see them from the porch. "You're so beautiful," he said, kissing her tenderly.

"Let's go inside," she said, slightly breathless as she broke the kiss. "I don't want rumors swirling until I talked to Conrad myself."

"I don't think Emily would mind." He quickly glanced over, and smiled when he saw Emily standing on the porch, her gaze fixed on him.

"Possibly not. But I don't want to risk anything." She pushed him into the bedroom and began to undress slowly. "Do you know how much I missed you?" She said seductively.

He skimmed with his fingers through her long hair. "Certainly not as much as I missed you." He leaned forward and gently kissed her neck until he heard her soft moan. She was wax in his hands as he led her over to the bed and slowly put her down. For a moment he stared down at her and then began to undress himself. She was like Heaven for him after this long time in the wasteland of the last twenty years. He just couldn't get enough of her. For a moment, he thought about what he had told Emily. He had meant every word when he said he would reclaim everything they had stolen from him. And he would start with Victoria. Slowly he lay down beside her and slipped his arms around her slim waist. She would belong to him again, forever...


	19. Allies

**Nolan's Mansion, Hamptons**

 **The next morning**

Nolan was surprised when he saw Emily with Julian in his baby carrier standing in front of his door early in the morning. Frowning questioningly, he let her in. "You're an early bird today," he said, taking the baby carrier and putting it on the sofa. He took a brief glance inside. "Is he sleeping?"

Emily nodded and sat down in one of the armchairs. "Daniel went to the editorial office half an hour ago." She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I couldn't stand it at home anymore."

"Do you have trouble with Daniel?" Nolan asked worried.

"No, everything is fine between us." She shook her head. "I guess you know my father is alive and back in the Hamptons?" She said, coming straight to the point.

Nolan nodded hesitantly. "I wasn't sure if it was really him. But yes, I saw him at Jack's party. And Ava told me later that he even introduced himself to her and Jack." He frowned. "I wouldn't have thought that he'd give away his true identity. Does he know you're really his daughter?"

"He knows it," Emily confirmed. "I told him myself, even if he had guessed it."

"I wanted to invite him. However, I have no idea where he lives at the moment." He looked at her questioningly. "Do you know where he is?"

"He's at Grayson Manor, with Victoria." Emily rolled her eyes. "That's why I'm here. I need your help."

"My help?" Nolan looked at her confused. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Emily leaned back in the chair and sighed softly. "I'm pretty sure my father just came back to take revenge on the Graysons."

Nolan had expected everything, but not that. And Emily was serious. He could see it in her expression. "Have you forgotten the diaries?" He asked slowly. "You've read it yourself. In them he asked you to give up your plans for revenge. He probably guessed how you would react. And he wanted you to be happy. He had recognized himself early enough what hate and vengeance could do to someone." He shook his head slightly. "I think you're wrong. Your father was never out for revenge. On the contrary. He wanted to make peace with everybody."

"You weren't there," Emily insisted. "You haven't seen this look and heard his words. And he warned me not to interfere with his business." She shuddered as she remembered his piercing look. "That wasn't a friendly request, Nolan, that was a threat! He is afraid that I disrupt his plan."

"What plan?" He asked, looking at her confused. "I still don't understand."

"He wants Victoria back." The moment she said it, she knew it was the truth. "I watched her from the porch." She raised her eyebrows. "They have embraced and kissed each other!"

Nolan's eyes widened in surprise, then he let out a soft whistle through his teeth. "Now it makes sense." He nodded. "He's trying to pinch Conrad's wife like he already tried twenty years ago."

"Do you believe me now?" She looked at him hopefully.

He nodded hesitantly. "As I said. It makes sense. But I hardly believe Victoria will play along. She's too much attached to the Grayson's name and the wealth. She won't give it up for him." He frowned. "Besides, I can't imagine that Conrad would allow that. He doesn't love Victoria as much as he did in the beginning, but in case she leaves him they will get a bad press. And people like him can't afford to have negative press."

"His exact words were, 'I'll reclaim what they had stolen from me twenty years ago'," Emily quoted her father. "What do you think he might mean?"

Nolan looked at her thoughtfully. If David had really changed sides, it was clear what he meant. And then Emily was probably right that he would first try to get Victoria back before he took everything else that belonged to Conrad Grayson. "How can I help?" He asked.

"You and my father have been close friends. Maybe you can talk to him and make him realize how stupid his plan to take revenge is!" Emily begged.

"That's rich, coming from you." Nolan said smirking. "Besides, I can remember that you didn't listen to me when I told you the same thing."

"We have to try. Please, Nolan! You are the only one who can help me. There's nobody else I can ask." She turned to him with a pleading look and he softened.

"All right," he replied. "I will talk to him and try to find out what he's really up to."

"Thank you, Nolan! I owe you!" She picked up the baby carrier and went to the door.

"I can't promise anything," he called after her.

She stopped. "I've worked so hard to make things right," she said to him. "I won't allow him to destroy all this!"

He was amazed at her resolute tone, and yet he could understand her. She had found her peace. And as a part of the Grayson family she would defend them. If necessary even against her own father. He hoped it wouldn't come that far. But he needed help and a piece of advice. Jack Porter was the only one he could think of, who knew everything about Amanda from the beginning. Sighing, he reached for the car keys and made his way to Montauk.


	20. Anxiety

**Beach House, Hamptons**

When Daniel returned to the beach house, because he had forgotten some important papers, he found the house empty. Frowning, he looked at the clock and realized that it was still time before Emily usually got up. As he went upstairs to the bedroom and the nursery and saw that the baby crib was empty, a feeling of anxiety came over him. Had something happened to Julian, that Emily had to leave all of a sudden? Although the baby had developed well, he still needed monitoring as a precaution, for he had trouble with breathing during sleep. The nervous feeling grew even more when he tried to reach Emily on her cell phone unsuccessfully. It was not like her to turn the phone off when she was out and about. Something had happened! Perhaps his mother or Charlotte knew more about it, this thought flashed through his mind. Determined, he went to the Manor. Since he still had a key, he went straight inside, without giving notice of his coming and was surprised to meet his mother's guest again.

"Daniel?" Victoria looked up from the breakfast table. "I thought you were in the editorial office."

"I was." He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Do you know where Emily is?" He came straight to the point of his appearance.

She shook her head. "No. Why would you think I know where she is?"

"I left an hour ago, and she was still sleeping then," he explained. "And now I'm back and she and Julian are gone." He paced back and forth. "She didn't leave any message," he continued. "And her cell phone is off."

Victoria dipped her mouth with the napkin and then rose. "You think something happened to Julian?" She surmised, also visibly worried.

Daniel nodded. "She never switches off her cell phone. Unless... they're in the hospital." As the thought manifested itself in his head, the panic he'd tried to suppress caught hold of him.

"Calm down!" David tried to reassure him. "There can be a lot of reasons why someone turns off the phone."

Daniel gave him an annoyed glance. "Is that so? And does this also explain why she simply left like a thief in the night without giving me notice?" He started to pace again. "If she had planned to go out so early in the morning, she would have informed me about it."

David looked at him doubtfully. _Perhaps their meeting was the reason why Emily needed fresh morning air,_ he thought. "I didn't want to jump to conclusions. I just wanted to say that there's a chance that she might be somewhere else and not in the hospital."

Daniel span around. "Stay out of this!" he snapped at David. "Do you have children? Do you know how it is to see your child lying there wired with tubes, struggling for his life? And then you come home and can't sleep because this stupid monitoring device sets off the alarm every night!"

"Daniel, calm down!" Victoria put her hand on his arm. "David didn't mean to bother you." She saw his eyes widen and knew she had made an ill-fated mistake.

"David?" Daniel echoed, looking at the man confused. "Didn't you say your name was Robert?"

Victoria exchanged a look with David and relaxed as he nodded slightly.

"David Clarke," he said. "I decided to change my identity a long time ago. It's a code name. After all, I escaped from jail and would have brought the police to the scene again."

Daniel looked bewildered at his mother. "You hide a convicted criminal?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Does Dad know about it?"

Victoria looked anxiously over at David, who looked completely relaxed. "His criminal act is time barred," she tried to defend him. "Besides, he was in jail for a crime that he didn't commit." She saw Daniel's eyes widen all of a sudden, and she knew that he had recognized him.

"David Clarke?" He fixed the man with a piercing look. "You were an employee of my father," he recalled. "You were accused of being responsible for the terrorist attack on Flight 197 in 1993."

David nodded. "Yes, they accused me, but I was not involved," he said. "I've been innocent in jail for years."

Daniel looked at him thoughtfully before he nodded. "Yes, I know."

David looked at him surprised. "You know that your..."

"I think we should go to the hospital now, so that Daniel can be rest assured that Emily and the baby are doing well," Victoria interrupted quickly, realizing what David had almost said. Daniel knew nothing about what Conrad and she had done back then. And it should stay that way. "I'm just going to change. I'll be right back." She ran up the stairs and stormed into her bedroom. Could she risk leaving the two alone? As she stepped out onto the balcony and looked to the beach house, she just saw Emily opening the door and then disappearing into the house. She ran quickly downstairs. "She's back!" She shouted excitedly, when she was back in the living room. "I just saw Emily going into the house. She had Julian with her."

"Thank God!" Relieved, Daniel closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. "I hope they're doing well. I'm off!" He gave a nod to his mother and David and then ran as quickly as possible back to his home, to find out the reason why Emily had left the house early in the morning.


	21. Decision

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

"Does Nolan know who you spent the night with?"

Ava sat up in Jack's bed and pulled the blanket higher to cover her naked breasts. "I think he suspects it. I didn't tell him though." She shrugged. "I only live at his place. I don't have to explain myself to him."

"I didn't mean it that way." Jack gently stroked along her naked shoulder. "I just thought you were friends and tell each other everything."

"Well, Nolan is very free-spirited." She rolled her eyes. "Because we live under one roof, I also know when he has a visitor over night."

"You mean Patrick?" Jack asked, smirking.

Ava nodded. "Well, he's extremely attractive," she said mischievously grinning. "I wouldn't push him out of bed if he wasn't gay."

"Hey!" Jack twitched his mouth playfully. "I'm pushing you out of bed, if you continue to talk about other men in my bed!"

She turned to him quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You don't need to worry," she said softly, looking deep into his eyes. "I just want you!" To emphasize her words, she began to kiss him passionately.

"I forgive you that you find other men more attractive than me," he said, after carefully freeing himself from her embrace.

She frowned questioningly as he suddenly jumped out of bed and reached for his pants. "What's wrong?"

"I think I heard a knock," he said, listening again.

Ava looked at the clock. "The bar is still officially closed. Just ignore it."

Jack laughed softly, then leaned forward to give her another kiss. "It seems I'm not as bad as I thought, if you can hardly wait to have me back in bed with you."

"What about you guys, that you always want to hear how good you are?" She shook her head, grinning, then suddenly frowned. "You're right. There's someone at the door." She also rose from the bed and grabbed her clothes.

Jack quickly slipped on a shirt and then went downstairs to the front door. He was surprised who the visitor was. "Nolan!" He exclaimed, then quickly looked up to see if Ava had followed him. "What are you doing here so early?"

"The bar is still closed?" He looked at him sheepishly.

Jack nodded. "To every other guest I would've said, 'come back in three hours', but for you I'll make an exception." He gestured to the counter. "Do you want to drink something?"

"A coffee maybe?"

"Coffee?" Jack echoed, raising his eyebrows amused. "We're a bar and not a coffee shop." He looked up again, but nothing moved. "I can make you one upstairs, okay? I'll be right back."

Nolan nodded. "Okay."

Quickly, Jack hurried to get up and went to Ava, who was about to fill the coffee machine. "You overheard us?" He asked, smirking.

She nodded. "I don't know what he wants so early in the morning. But please, don't tell him I'm here!"

He cupped her chin and looked at her. "Do you have a guilty conscience for not telling him where you spent the night?" He said with a smirk.

"I thought your reputation was so important to you," she countered. "When I reveal myself to him, he immediately knows what's going on here. And I thought it might not be so good when it comes out that you have a fling with your employee. As far as I know, it defied the code of honor of the rules of order."

He looked at her thoughtfully. "So you mean I have to fire you before we can have an official relationship?"

"What?" She looked at him as if he had just said something in Chinese.

"Code of honor of the rules of order," he repeated, shaking his head, then twisting his mouth. "You always have a reason why we shouldn't be together, right?"

She bit her lower lip. He was right. She always was looking for a reason not to allow him to come near. But it was not easy because her heart was already involved, even though she had refused to accept it. "I think the coffee has passed through," she murmured, relieved to have something to do, than to look into his eyes.

Jack took two cups from the shelf and poured the coffee in.

"Nolan likes it with lots of sugar and milk," she said softly, looking at him apologetically. "Jack, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay," he made a dismissive hand movement. "I'm going to Nolan asking him what he wants. Maybe I can distract him, so that you can sneak out and take off."

"Jack...!"

He took the two cups and quickly went back down without looking at her again.

She slumped back on the bed and buried her face in her hands. What had she done? Had she really believed that it was possible to separate love and sex? Presumably there were women who could do that. She wasn't one of them. The realization hit her like a gunshot. She had fallen in love with Jack Porter! A feeling that scared her just the same as it made her feel euphoric. She knew he had feelings for her, too. Was it possible to have a completely normal relationship, after all she has been through? She got up from the bed. Her decision had been made. She took a last look in the mirror and went downstairs. She saw Nolan's eyes widen and Jack's eyes flashing. "I'd like to quit my job," she said firmly and joined the two at the counter.


	22. Panic

**Beach House, Hamptons**

"Emily!"

When Daniel rushed into the house and crushed her to his chest, she was too stunned for a moment to react. It wasn't until he let go of her and looked to the baby carrier, where their little son was sleeping peacefully, she understood his strange behavior.

"Is he okay?" He looked at her with concern.

"Y-Yes sure," she stuttered, frowning questioningly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the editorial office."

"I was." He straightened again, after making sure that Julian was doing well. "I had forgotten some papers and went back," he explained, looking at her again. "When I found the house empty, I had the worst fears. I thought he might have had one of his breathing arrests again and you had to bring him to the hospital."

"Julian is fine," she repeated again. "He was restless, so I walked a little with him." She felt bad about her lie. She had scared him for nothing. But she couldn't have known that he was coming back. "I'm sorry," she stammered without giving a thought.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked, looking at her confused.

"I didn't leave a note when I left." She bent down and took the baby out of the baby carrier. "I'll take him up so he can sleep on." She was about to go upstairs when she noticed Daniel's arms around her.

"I was so scared!" he confessed to her. He leaned forward to give Julian a light kiss on his cheek and then turned to Emily to kiss her, too.

She leaned into him and returned the kiss. She hated it to lie to him. Their love was deep, but at that moment she wondered how much their marriage could endure. "Do you want to stay?" She asked quietly, not wanting to wake the baby.

He nodded slowly, looking deep into her eyes. "If this is what you want."

"You're the boss." She smiled at him, then went upstairs to the nursery. She put her sleeping son in the crib and then looked down at him.

"I don't know what I would do if I would lose you or him."

She closed her eyes and leaned against him as she felt his arms around her waist again. "You won't," she promised, then turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Daniel!"

"Show me...!" he whispered in her ear and shoved her gently from the nursery to their bedroom.

Just for a moment she wanted to forget everything; The lies, the fear for the future... She slowly began to undress him and felt her body begin to tremble with anticipation as he did the same with her. She moaned with pleasure as he explored her body with his hands, lips and tongue. Shortly after, they reached the climax together and lay there, side by side, tightly entwined.

"That's what I call a special morning break," Daniel said with a smirk and kissed her tenderly. "If I give it another thought, I would like to do it every day."

"I would love that." She grinned mischievously and then stretched her body. "I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time."

He rolled over, resting on his elbow. "Maybe I should let my mother know everything is all right," he said all of a sudden.

Emily sat up and reached for her blanket. "Your mother?" She asked in astonishment.

"When I couldn't find you, I went over to the manor and asked her if she knew where you were," he said. "We were on the verge of driving to the hospital when she saw you standing on the porch."

Emily began nervously tugging at her blanket. "Is... is he still there?" She asked hesitantly while she tried to avoid eye contact with him.

He nodded. "If you mean the man who is my mother's guest, he's still there." He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "It's David Clarke," he revealed and continued quickly when he got no response from Emily. "David Clarke..." He repeated again. "You know ... Amanda's father?" He tried to jog her memory. "Everyone thought that he had been murdered. But apparently he survived it and now..." Irritated, he paused as he saw Emily jumping out of bed. "Em? Everything okay?"

At the mention of his name, her heart had suddenly started to pound like mad and sweat had formed on her forehead. With trembling hands, she picked up her clothes from the floor, which were scattered everywhere. "Yes, call your mother," she said, while she continued to avoid looking into his eyes. "She should know that the baby is doing well."

"Are you all right?" He had also left the bed and now followed her. "You're white as chalk!" he noticed with concern, brushing softly over her pale, damp forehead.

"I'm fine." She shoved his hand aside. "Only an imbalance in my... bloodstream," she lied. "I'm gonna take a shower now."

"Emily... wait!"

As fast as her weak knees allowed it, she ran into the bathroom and locked the door so that he couldn't follow her.

"Em? Do you need my help?"

She backed away as he knocked against the door. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry," she said faintly, wrapping her arms around her body. How should she keep her secret to herself when, every time her father's name was mentioned, she was about to get a panic attack? Slowly, she stepped into the shower and then leaned against the acrylic glass wall, while the hot water was running over her quivering body.


	23. Honesty

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

"You want to quit?" Nolan repeated, looking confused from Ava to Jack. "But you told me how much fun the job is."

"Ava is just joking, isn't that so?" Jack poked her playfully and smiled.

 _He knows what I want to express with my resignation,_ she thought happily. The little word play had led to success. She now knew that she wanted to be with him, with all the consequences. She was simply not the type for a noncommittal relationship. She wanted all or nothing. "I tricked you!" She grinned. "But for a moment you really believed it," she said to Nolan.

"At the moment nothing can surprise me," he said sighing, reaching for the cup of coffee.

"What's the matter?" Jack looked at him, frowning. "I guess you're here for a reason?"

Nolan took a sip and then set the cup off again. "Emily was with me this morning," he began, raising his eyebrows. "It's about David Clarke."

"She met him?" Ava blurted.

Nolan nodded. "But that's not all. He knows that she's Amanda."

"Oh no..." Ava slapped her hand to her mouth. "And what happened after that?"

"You get it wrong," Nolan corrected. "She has revealed herself to him."

"Why did she do that?" Jack asked, shaking his head. "I thought she didn't want anybody to know who she really is." He rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "Even then, when she told me, she begged me not to tell anyone. What changed her mind?"

"I don't know." Nolan shrugged. "Maybe she just had enough of lying."

"Do the Graysons know?" Ava asked.

"Or Daniel?" Jack added to the question.

"No, no one knows, only David. And she asked him to keep it to himself. But that's not the reason why I'm here..." He sighed and ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Emily suspects that David is here to take revenge on the Graysons."

"The story repeats itself, then..." Jack murmured, lost in thought.

"I hope she's wrong." Nolan shook his head slightly. "I just can't believe it. I've known David for an eternity. I mean, except for the last twenty years," he corrected himself.

"A person can change in twenty years," Ava said. "If Emily is right and he's seeking for revenge, then I can understand why she's worried."

"Not that I can understand what she sees in Daniel or the Graysons..." Jack wrinkled his forehead. "But yes, I think I can understand that she doesn't want anybody to destroy her happiness."

"Are you going to help me?" Nolan looked at the two eagerly.

"How can we help?" Ava asked, frowning.

"I think if I approach David and question him, it's too obvious," Nolan explained his plan. "But if you invite him to the bar, he may not become suspicious. We just have to figure out what he's planning."

"What about Emily? If he already knows who she really is, why can't she question him then, like a father/daughter conversation in private?"

Nolan looked at Jack thoughtfully before he answered. "Because he threatened her to not interfere with his affairs," he said hesitantly. "That says it all, doesn't it? I mean, most fathers are happy when they see their daughter after twenty years. But David Clarke had another reason than a family reunion, why he had returned to the Hamptons."

"Is it only Emily's assumption that he wants to take revenge or does she have evidence?" Ava tossed in.

Nolan took a deep breath. "I think it's a little bit of both. She saw David and Victoria together on the balcony..." He stopped in the middle of the sentence and looked at the two.

"Go on!" Ava urged.

"They kissed," he finished the sentence.

"O-kay..." Ava said slowly. "Yes, this is a clear proof. Or at least it's proof that she has no problem with cheating on her husband."

"Well, then they would be equal," Nolan said dryly. "I'm thinking of Lydia Davis. Conrad was not particularly discreet when he had a relationship with her years ago."

"Poor Emily..." Ava sighed deeply. "In what kind of family had she married into?"

Jack looked at the clock. "Okay. I'm sorry, I have to take care of business now. The official opening hours just started."

"I'm off." Nolan went to the door. "You two know now about everything. And it would be nice if you could help me out with the matter about David."

When Nolan had left, Jack put his arm around Ava's waist before she could disappear behind the counter. "So, you want to quit," he said smirking, looking deep into her eyes. "Does that mean that we can have a real relationship from now on?"

"Our relationship was real from the beginning," she said, playfully indignant. "It was just non-official."

"Is it official now?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Officially approved, real and honest," she said softly, sealing their bond with a kiss.


	24. Surprise

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

Charlotte was sitting alone at the breakfast table, a magazine beside her, while she enjoyed her buttered croissants with jam. She had not slept very well the night before, which was probably because she had heard such strange noises from her mother's bedroom. Sighing, she pushed the magazine aside and took a sip from her teacup. She was not naive and certainly not too young to understand what was happening around her. She wondered how her mother thought to keep the relationship with David a secret from her father. She was not particularly discreet. Even the house staff had already noticed that Victoria Grayson had an affair. She rolled her eyes. Basically she didn't care. She had also noticed at the time when her father had cheated on her mother with Lydia Davis, or Daniel's secret affair with Sara, although he had already been engaged to Emily. Not to mention Emily and her relationship with Aiden Mathis. Apparently, the Graysons were not exactly the faithful type. Sighing, she shoved her breakfast aside. Her appetite was gone. She rose and was just about to call for the maid to clear the table when someone entered the room. Startled, she sank back into her chair. "Dad?!" she exclaimed incredulously.

"What's that for a greeting?" He went to her, smiling. "One might think you're not looking forward to seeing your old father again."

"Well, I..." She swallowed the lump that had formed, squinting nervously to the stairway. "I'm glad. I'm just surprised."

"The meeting in Seattle didn't last as long as I thought," he explained his early appearance. "That's why I've been back here earlier." He sat down at the table. "I'll be there in time for breakfast."

As Charlotte took another croissant from the bread basket, she frantically pondered how she could warn her mother. Just now, she had been thinking about how it would be if her father and her biological father would meet. And in her imagination it hadn't turned out well. "How was it?" She began the conversation, although she wasn't particularly interested in his business.

"Very good." He nodded contentedly and also reached into the bread basket to take a roll. "But since when have you been interested in the company?"

She shrugged. "In a couple of weeks I'll be of legal age. I think it's time to take on more responsibility," she tried to make up a credible story.

"Do you mean you want to work for me?" He asked, surprised.

"Why not?" She reached for the teapot and poured herself again, even though she had already drunk enough tea. "Do you stay here longer?" She continued the talk.

"Only for the weekend. Next week I have to go to Boston for a few days. There is a congress. I was hoping your mother would accompany me." He looked around, frowning. "Where is she anyway?"

Charlotte could feel the bite that she had just taken, literally stuck in her throat. She was so bad in lying! She quickly took another sip of tea. "She..." A cough fit interrupted her. "She... is still in bed," she said. Probably it wasn't even a lie. Just that her father couldn't know she was not alone there.

Conrad had finished his breakfast and rose. "I'll go up then, unpack my things and talk to your mother," he said, walking to the stairway.

"Wait!" She jumped up and ran after him. "I have to tell you something..."

"Yes?" He looked at her with a frown, waiting for an explanation.

Nervously she looked up the stairs. "You can't go up there now," she said nervously.

"Charlotte, what's going on?" He pushed her aside. "Are you hiding something?" He followed her gaze.

Nervously, she shifted from one foot to the other. "I... don't know how to tell you..." she began stuttering, but she didn't come any further when she heard a noise from above and realized to her horror that it was her mother who came down the stairs. She quickly looked at her father, who was staring upwards with wide eyes. Every color had gone from his face. When she looked up again, she recognized the reason for his consternation. Her mother was not alone. She had her guest with her. And although he looked entirely different, her father seemed to have recognized him.

"David?!"


	25. Threat

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

"I... I'll go to my room." Charlotte couldn't depart from this place quickly enough. She hurried upstairs and stepped behind a pillar, eavesdropping.

"Hello, Conrad!" David walked down the stairs in a relaxed manner and stood in front of his adversary. "Long time no see, but despite that, you still recognized me," he said.

"You... you're...!" Conrad stuttered.

"Dead?" David finished the sentence for him and laughed sarcastically. "As you can see yourself, I'm alive and kicking." He leaned forward to look Conrad straight in the eye. "Apparently, your brilliant plan failed to eliminate me," he said in a dangerously calm tone. "The killer you have paid didn't do his job properly. Fortunately, because otherwise we couldn't stand face to face now."

"I... I have no idea what you're talking about," Conrad said, trying to make eye contact with Victoria, who had her head lowered.

"Denying is futile, Conrad. I've gathered enough evidence over the years that you could be arrested today," he said casually. "And then you were going to lose it all this time." He looked him straight in the eye. "How would you like that?"

"You're just bluffing." Conrad wiped his sweat from the forehead David's threat had caused.

"Oh, do you really believe that?" He looked around. "Victoria, where's the phone? I think I need to have an important talk with the police."

"You're a terrorist, a murderer!" Conrad exclaimed. "Do you think they will take your word for it?"

"I said I have proof. And I'll present it to the police," David said calmly.

"What proof?" Conrad looked at him suspiciously.

"An underground dungeon where you have locked me up for ten years." He saw Conrad shake his head in confusion, and continued quickly. "You have only feigned my death and then kept me captive for years. You wanted to make sure I didn't tell anyone the truth."

"That... that's not true!" Conrad stammered.

"You have tortured me for years," David continued, unruffled. "But one day I managed to escape."

"What a story did you cook up in your sick brain?" Conrad looked at him, bewildered. "No one will believe this abstruse story!"

"Do you really want to take the chance?" He raised his eyebrows, mockingly. "If I bring the police to the place where I have been abused for years, they will believe me."

"Victoria?" Conrad looked at his wife. "You really don't believe what he's talking about!"

She met his gaze with stoic serenity. "I know what you're capable of, Conrad. And we both know that you blamed him for the terrorist attack on Flight 197. David had nothing to do with it. He was innocent in jail."

"Of course you are defending him, now that you're together with him again." He laughed contemptuously. "Just admit it, Victoria, do you sleep with him again?" He saw her lowering her head guiltily. "I knew it!" He turned to his nemesis. "What do you want, David?" He glanced at him with a hostile look.

"Everything." He grinned slightly. "You took everything from me, so I'll take everything from you," he said cold-blooded.

"I didn't do what you accused me of," Conrad countered. "I haven't faked your death, and I haven't held you captive for years."

"Well, who is interested in the truth." David shrugged, indifferent. "They didn't believe me at that time, when I swore I had nothing to do with the attack. Crucial is what people want to believe."

"So you want me to admit a crime I didn't do? And what do I get in return?"

"Nothing." David laughed softly. "That's exactly what I got. And that is why it doesn't matter if you tell a lie or the truth. You will lose everything anyway."

"You're completely insane!" Conrad lost patience. "Get the hell out of my house and never come back!"

David raised his hands defensively and gave Victoria an apologizing look. "I'm going," he said quietly. "But we, Conrad, are not done yet!"

Still hiding behind the pillar, Charlotte had listened to the whole conversation. Unconsciously, she had held her breath, and only the moment she heard the front door snapping shut, she noticed that she was trembling. Protectively she wrapped her arms around her body and crept slowly into her room, where she sank weakly on her bed. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She had presumed that her father often pursued his business affairs in a ruthless manner, but that he had even been responsible for the attempted assassination of her biological father, she would never have thought. Still completely distraught by what she had learned, she rose and went to the door and listened. Her parents had apparently left the stairs and had gone to their rooms. As fast as she could and as quietly as possible, she ran down the stairs and pushed the front door open. She looked around to make sure that no one had followed her and then ran off towards the beach house.


	26. Disclosure

**Beach House, Hamptons**

When Emily left the bathroom after she had barricaded herself for an eternity, she found that Daniel had left the house. Tears of helplessness and frustration ran down her cheeks. He knew about David Clarke. How long would it be until he learned that she was his daughter? And what would it mean for her marriage? Would he forgive her for keeping her true identity a secret for years? She'd tried all those months to make up for the wrong she had done to him. Was everything in vain now? Had she lost everything by revealing her true identity? A thousand questions were buzzing through her head and to which she knew no answer. She only knew that she couldn't bear to lose him again. For that she loved him too much. And she hoped that Daniel would love her enough to forgive her. She was still absorbed in her thoughts when she heard someone pounding against the door. Quickly she wiped the tears from her cheeks, ran down and opened. "Charlotte?" She exclaimed in astonishment. This was not a friendly visit, Emily recognized immediately, as she glanced at Charlotte's face. "What happened?" She asked worried.

"It... it's so terrible," Charlotte exclaimed, despairingly. "I wish I had never overheard their conversation." She pressed her hand against her forehead and groaned. "I'm sorry about the invasion! But I didn't know where to go."

"Come on in!" Emily opened the door. "And then tell me what happened." She gently stroked a strand of hair from Charlotte's forehead. "You're completely unsettled!"

"My father..." she said slowly, after she had taken a seat on the sofa. "My father and... David Clarke... they had an argument that got out of control."

"What did they say?" Emily asked cautiously. She could see how upset Charlotte was and knew she had to make a careful approach.

"David claimed that my father was responsible for his arrestment. And not only that..." She raised her head and looked at Emily with wide eyes. "He has evidence that he'd hired a contract killer to eliminate David." She shook her head slightly. "I always knew my father was without scruple, but I would never have thought he was capable of a crime like that."

Emily bit nervously on her lower lip. She knew all this and much more. But should she entrust herself to Charlotte to demonstrate her loyalty?

"But David isn't much better," Charlotte continued. "He's blackmailing my father and saying he's been keeping him a prisoner all the years. And my mother sticks by him." She rolled her eyes. "He's lying, I know that. I overheard a conversation between him and my mother..." She cleared her throat. "At that time, he told her that he'd escaped from the hospital and had stayed abroad all the years. He was afraid of the police. That's why he didn't show up sooner." She quickly glanced over at Emily and saw her nod. "You know about it?" She asked, surprised.

"He... saved my life a few days ago, when I swam too far," she began hesitantly. "After that I returned the favor by inviting him to coffee and cake. We talked, and he told me about his escape and that he was abroad."

"Why is he lying to my father?" Charlotte asked, frowning, looking at Emily questioningly.

"He wants revenge." The words had already been lying on her tongue, but she was shocked that she had actually said them out loud.

"Revenge?" Charlotte echoed.

"He says the truth," Emily said quietly, raising her head to look at Charlotte. "Conrad really tried to kill him. He wanted to prevent the truth from coming out, who had really been responsible for the terrorist attack on Flight 197. It wasn't David, it was..."

"My father," concluded Charlotte in a low voice as she recognized the truth.

Emily nodded. "Yes, it was Conrad. But he is not your father, David is," she rectified.

"It doesn't matter. They are both liars and deceivers!" She jumped up from the sofa and paced nervously back and forth. "And my mother had once covered her husband's wrongdoing, and now she's changing sides!" She shouted furiously. "She's not a bit better. It's all lies!" Her hands had involuntarily clenched into fists. "My whole life is a lie! There is no one I can trust!" Tears of rage and despair welled in her eyes.

"You can trust _me_." Emily also jumped up and took a step towards Charlotte.

"Can I really?" She eyed Emily suspiciously. "You know, at that time on Rebun Island, Ava told me that your father had been murdered," she began, not letting Emily out of her eyes. "But you told Daniel that your parents had died in a traffic accident. Was it a lie?"

Emily felt her mouth becoming dry. It was time to tell her the truth. She took a deep breath and then reached for Charlotte's hands. "I... thought he'd been murdered," she began. "But as it turned out, he still lives." She cleared her throat and then raised her head to look at Charlotte. "I'm Amanda," she confessed. "David Clarke is also my father." She forced herself to a smile. "We are sisters, Charlotte."

"No!" Horrified, Charlotte snatched her hands away and backed off. "You're lying!"

"I'm not lying." Determined, Emily took another step towards her, but defensively raised her hands as she noticed Charlotte's frightened look. "I've lied all these years," she said urgently. "But now I don't lie anymore. After regaining my memory, I decided to start a new life. I wanted to be free of lies and intrigues. I wanted to be part of the Grayson family. I wanted it so much, for Daniel and also for Julian. And of course for you too, my sister."

Charlotte wrapped her arms around her body. "You... you're telling the truth?" She asked unsure.

Emily nodded. "I'm telling the truth. Until a few days ago, I didn't even know that our father was still alive. When he suddenly stood in front of me, it was also a shock for me."

"Did you know what he was up to?"

"I suspected," Emily admitted. "He was talking about that he wanted to get back everything they had stolen from him. When I saw him with your mother, I realized the meaning of his statement."

"He wants to destroy my father," Charlotte stated objectively. "There's no doubt about that."

"And he uses your mother to pursue it."

Charlotte nodded and then looked at her thoughtfully. "Does Daniel know who you really are?"

Emily hastily lowered her head. "No," she admitted quietly. "And he must never know." She raised her head and looked at Charlotte pleadingly. "Promise me not to tell him!" She begged.

"I promise. But why did you tell me?" She looked at her sister, frowning.

"Because I trust you and you are my family," Emily said truthfully. "I wanted to tell you sooner that we are sisters. But it just wasn't the right time. But I think now is the perfect time."

"Perfect... for what?"

"To join forces against David Clarke," Emily replied resolutely. "I know you're pretty angry with your parents right now, but I don't believe you want their lives to be destroyed forever."

Hesitantly, Charlotte shook her head. "No, you're right. I don't want that. And what are we going to do about it?"

"I've already asked Nolan for help," Emily explained to her sister. "He wants to talk to David. We should go to him and offer him our help, too."

Charlotte lifted her arms helplessly and then dropped them. "He's gone," she said softly. "After the dispute with my father, he was ordered to leave. No idea where he is now."

"What did he say before he left?" Emily asked.

Charlotte thought for a moment. "That matters were not finished with my father. It was meant as a threat."

The uneasy feeling that had accompanied her seemed to be confirmed. He really wanted to take revenge on Conrad. And from what Charlotte had just confided to her, he wouldn't stop at nothing to get back what he once had lost. She shoved Charlotte towards the front door. "Go back to the Manor! Not that anyone will get suspicious. I'll try to get in touch with Nolan again. Maybe he has a clue where David could be."

Before Charlotte went, she turned to Emily. "Amanda..." she said thoughtfully. "If you have more time, you have to tell me everything why you came to the Hamptons under a false name."

Emily nodded. "I promise. But now we have to take care of more important things."

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before she moved closer to Emily and hugged her. "I always wanted a sister," she said softly. "I couldn't have asked for a better one." With these words, she left the beach house, leaving Emily in a chaos of emotions behind.


	27. Loss of Control

**Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

Unprompted by Victoria, Conrad entered her bedroom and stared in disgust to the rumpled bed clothes. "Here you have spent your free time in the last few days," he hissed scornfully. "Once a slut, always a slut!"

She raised her head a little higher to demonstrate that his words left her unmoved, but her lips quivered slightly. "You of all people must give me a moralizing lecture!" She snapped at him. "You had an affair with Lydia behind my back for years! If there was such a thing as a male whore, then you would be one!"

"I was at least discreet. You haven't known for a long time about my relationship to Lydia," he retorted, knitting his eyebrows. "What one can't say about you. Congratulations Victoria!" He clapped his hands in a sarcastic gesture. "You even succeeded in bringing our daughter into this mess."

"Charlotte is not your daughter!" She fired back. "She merely has your name.

"What was very convenient for you back then, because that way you could smother the fact that she was a bastard!"

Victoria had enough of his insults, she took a step towards him and slapped his face. "You're sickening me!" She yelled at him.

He grabbed her arms and steered her to the bed. "Tell me what characteristic he possesses, that I don't have!" He tossed her on the bed and knelt over her while he held her arms above her head in a firm grip.

"Please Conrad... you... you're hurting me!" She tried desperately to free herself from his grip, but he still held her tightly and slowly lowered his head. She knew what would happen next, but she was too shocked to act on it. When he pressed his lips to hers and then released a hand and pulled her skirt up, she was paralyzed for a moment.

"I'll take what I'm entitled to as a husband by law," he said in a dangerously calm voice after he had broke the kiss. "I've waited far too long."

Victoria knew she was in an inferior position. And yet she hoped that he would come to his senses and would abandon his plan of demanding his conjugal right against her will. But she soon realized that he had lost control of his actions and was only thinking of one thing; to punish her physically. She began to punch her fists against his chest, but the more she tried to defend herself against his brute treatment, the more brutal and firm his grip became, his lips on her mouth unyielding and demanding. She heard a sound when her clothes ripped to pieces and wriggled under him.

"Stay still!"

Frightened, she did what he had told her when she felt a burning sensation on her cheek. She couldn't believe that he had slapped her! With wide eyes she stared into his, and was surprised to see there the same emotions she felt; shock, confusion and pain. He had interrupted the kiss and she took the chance to defend herself again. "Please... don't!" She pleaded. "Let me go!" Tears of despair rolled over her cheeks when she closed her eyes, humiliated. She suddenly felt the pressure that had forced her down on the sheets gone and she could breathe freely again.

She opened her eyes and realized she was alone in bed. Conrad had left the bedroom. Still shaken she curled up almost naked on her bed. She didn't know how long she had been laying there when she suddenly felt a hand touching her slightly. Frightened, she recoiled.

"Mom, it's me, Charlotte."

She sat up and tried to hold her tattered clothes as best she could before her naked body.

"Oh my God! Did Dad do that?" Charlotte pointed to the bruises that were visible on Victoria's arms and shoulders.

"Charlotte, go to your room..." She knew how weak and shaky her voice sounded and little authority emanated at that moment.

"No!" Charlotte shook her head defiantly. "First, you tell me what happened!"

Victoria cleared her throat. "We... had a little... disagreement... your father and I," she said softly.

"That's what you call a little 'disagreement'?" Charlotte asked incredulously, shaking her head. "To me it looks like rape!"

"Charlotte please..." With a shaky hand, Victoria ran through her disheveled hair. "You keep what you've seen to yourself!" She said urgently, looking at her daughter with a pleading look. "No one must know." She rose and reached for her dressing gown. "Nothing happened," she said, grateful that she didn't have to lie this time.

"As you say," Charlotte said stiffly and rose from the bed. "But if I were you, I wouldn't take what he did to you."

Victoria turned to her daughter. "Promise me not to tell anyone!" She pleaded. "When David learns what your father did I don't know what he will do!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "First Emily, now you." She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just said. "I promise," she said quickly afterwards.

"Do you know where he went?"

Charlotte looked at her mother questioningly. "David or Dad?"

Victoria let out a frustrated sigh. "Both of them. I don't have a good feeling that both are out there now and meet up."

"No," Charlotte said. "Neither do I."

Victoria looked at her daughter. "What do you mean by that?" When she saw Charlotte's guilty face, she recognized the truth. "You overheard our conversation!"

Charlotte lowered her head embarrassed. "Not deliberately," she lied. "You've just been very loud, so I could understand every word."

"You heard everything?" Victoria probed.

Charlotte nodded. "He just uses you," she said quietly. "David Clarke is not the person who he pretends to be."

"What are you talking about?" Victoria frowned. "Just because he wants justice doesn't mean he has dishonest intentions."

"He doesn't want justice." Charlotte knew how dangerous her accusation was but she couldn't keep it to herself any longer. "He wants revenge!"

"You don't understand that, Charlotte!" Victoria started to pace back and forth. "Conrad took everything from him. He was innocent in jail. Of course he was furious. He only said these things because he wanted to intimidate and unsettle him. He would never be capable of reporting him to the police. He knows he'd bring harm to me too."

Charlotte could only shake her head at the words of her mother. Emily was right. David used her mother and she didn't even notice it! How naive could someone be who was in love? "I've given Emily my word to take care of Julian," she lied, trying to find a reason to return to the beach house. She had to tell Emily what had just happened. The situation was more complicated than expected.

"Yes, just go." Victoria made a parting gesture and then, as soon as Charlotte had left the house, she stripped the bed clothing. Nothing should remind her of this terrible moment she'd had to endure in that bed! She took the bed sheets, carried them down and after she had made sure she had no witnesses, she stuffed them into the garbage can and closed the lid.


	28. Preparations

**In some backyard in New York**

"You know what to do." David took out a bundle of money and casually put it on the table in front of him.

"For what you ask for, it's far too little," said the man, who was sitting opposite him. "I take a high risk, and if I'm getting caught, I'll sit in jail longer than a few months."

"I thought you had the reputation to do every job, even if it's dangerous or unusual." He shrugged. "I've apparently been wrong." He reached for the bundle of money to put it back in again as the man put his hand on his.

"Not so fast. You haven't been wrong. I keep what I promised. "He stroked his beard thoughtfully, "I am still of the opinion that the money is not enough for this kind of job."

"Okay," David said, "I promise you twice the amount when you've done the job properly." He looked at his contract partner with an expectant look.

"Agreed!" The man held out his hand.

David grinned satisfied. He couldn't believe what people were capable of when money was involved. He should have known. He had met people in jail who would have sold their own grandmother for such an amount of money, or for worse reasons. But here it was about much more. For twenty years he had been waiting for it and at last this day had come; The day when he would take revenge on Conrad Grayson! A warm feeling of happiness flowed through him at the thought that soon everything would belong to him.

"We meet again when everything's done."

David nodded. "Should I transfer the money?"

His contract partner shook his head. "Only cash," he said, scarcely, "everything is discreetly handled without leaving any traces. We are professionals." He straightened his body. "You won't be disappointed."

"I hope so." He looked at the man thoughtfully. "How will I know that the job has been successfully completed?"

"Conrad Grayson is not a foreigner in the media world. There will be no radio or television station that won't report about it. You can be quite sure of that."

David grinned as well. "Yes, with one hundred percent certainty," he confirmed.

"It was nice to do business with you, Mr. Bellows," the man said, nodding.

David replied the gesture. It was time to leave. Everything was said and done. Now he just had to wait for his wish to come true. And then he would start a new life together with Victoria. Just as they had planned twenty years ago.

 **Beach House, Hamptons**

Emily looked at Charlotte, shocked, after she had told her what had happened at the Manor. One couldn't say that she was deeply attached to the woman who still accuses her of being a liar and didn't be reluctant to tell Daniel about her suspicions. But she was almost raped. No woman should suffer such a thing. "Is she okay?" She was surprised about her own question. But she had to admit that she actually worried about Victoria. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair. What was wrong with her, that she suddenly felt compassion for her mother-in-law?

"I don't know," Charlotte said, her mouth twitching. "She says yes, but I don't believe her." She looked at Emily. "She often plays the strong, but in reality she is very vulnerable."

Emily looked at her sister in surprise. She had a good insight in human nature. She, too, had gotten the same impression of Victoria. There were moments when she showed a very different side. Emily suddenly remembered the day of Daniel's surgery, where she herself had been completely desperate and Victoria had consoled her and helped her through it. At that time she had believed she had been accepted by Daniel's mother. A mistake, as it turned out later. "Do you want me to talk to her?" Emily suggested.

"Would you do that?" Charlotte looked at her with a grateful look. "Perhaps you can reason with her, to do something against my father's ill-treatment." She shook her head slightly. "I don't know what is wrong with him. He was never like that before," she admitted, "though they had arguments before."

"Where did he go?"

Charlotte shrugged. "My mom doesn't know, he just ran out of the house."

A terrible thought crossed Emily's mind suddenly. What if Conrad had followed her father to avenge him? If he was not afraid to attack his own wife, what would he do with her lover? "We have to find him," she said resolutely. "There will be a bloodbath when both meet!" She saw Charlotte looking at her horrified and quickly added. "This is just figure of speech." But she knew at the moment when she said that, that it was a lie. In her mind she saw again the eyes of her father, when he had told her the reason of his appearance; Revenge on Conrad Grayson. At that time a cold shiver ran down her spine, when she had recognized the hate in it. Opposite Conrad, who had been accustomed from his early youth to getting everything he wanted, even with unfair, corrupt means. If both men were to stand against each other with the aim of destroying each other, there would be blood, literally!

"Emily?" Charlotte looked at her anxiously. "It wasn't figure of speech, wasn't it?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I don't think David bluffed and if Conrad believes he's to blame for his relationship with your mother, he'll take revenge for that. He won't give up his marriage without a fight."

"You're right," Charlotte said. "I don't know everything about it, but it was the same back then. David wanted to elope with my mother, but my dad prevented it."

Emily reached for the phone. "I'm calling Nolan," she said resolutely. "And maybe Ava is there too. I need a babysitter for Julian."

"You help me with the search?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Of course." Emily looked at her in surprise. "Do you think I'd let you go alone?"

Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm really scared," she confessed. "I can't look into my dad's eyes anymore, after what he did to my mom!"

"You're not alone," Emily said emphatically. "From now on you will come to me if you have a problem and we will solve it together." She hoped she didn't promise too much, because she had no idea how to prevent a fight between Conrad and her father. She remembered her plan to inform Nolan and finally began dialing his number.


	29. Refuge

**Nolan's Mansion, Hamptons**

"What you're planning is not exactly safe," Nolan warned, looking back and forth between Emily and Charlotte. He had just learned from both what had happened in the Manor and was not exactly enthusiastic about Emily's suggestion to take matters into their own hands.

"We know that." Emily nodded. "But we have to do something."

He was just about to reply to her comment as the door opened and Ava entered. He had informed her immediately after Emily had made contact with him by telephone.

"I came as fast as I could," she said, looking apologizing. "Nolan said you need my help?"

"I need someone to take care of Julian," Emily explained, pointing to the back of the house, where she had placed the baby in Nolan's bedroom.

"I can't stay long, I have to go back to the bar, but I can take him with me," Ava suggested. "What exactly are you planning?" She said, turning to Emily.

"They're both looking for Conrad," Nolan said, rolling his eyes. "And maybe they'll find David in the process, too."

Ava put her arm around Charlotte's shoulder sympathetically. "Nolan told me what happened, I'm really sorry for your mother. Although I understand that he was understandably angry that she deceived him, that doesn't justify rape."

Nolan cleared his throat and then turned to Emily. "After your call, I already did a little research to find out where Conrad went after he left the house." He shrugged helplessly. "He's neither at Grayson Global, nor in any bar or restaurant."

"What about the South Fork Inn?" The thought came to Emily's mind.

"The hotel?" Charlotte exclaimed. "Yes, that's a possibility. He has a suite there."

"Then we should begin our search there." Emily was suddenly full of expectations. The solution seemed to be close at hand.

"You shouldn't go there alone." Nolan looked at her worried. "What if he gets another aggressive fit again?"

"He won't do me any harm," said Charlotte, full of conviction.

"Nolan is right," Ava interfered in the conversation. "You two shouldn't go alone." She looked quickly at him. "Just take him with you."

Nolan nodded affirmatively and then went to a safe in the wall and opened it.

Emily held her breath for a moment when she saw what he took out of it. "Do you think he'd better listen to you if you put a gun in front of his nose?" She asked skeptically.

Nolan shook his head. "This is only for our defense," he said. "I am a pacifist and reject any form of violence."

"I'm going to take the baby and go back to the Stowaway," Ava said, walking to Nolan's bedroom to get Julian.

Emily gave a deep sigh. "I hope we'll find him," she said thoughtfully. She looked up as Ava entered the living room with the baby carrier. Quickly she bent over her little son and kissed him goodbye. "Take care of him," she said, and suddenly noticed tears in her eyes.

"I take care of him as if he were my own child," Ava promised.

"Are you ready, then?" Nolan put the gun in his jacket pocket, took the car keys, and made a gesture that Emily and Charlotte should follow him.

 **South Fork Inn, Hamptons**

After his hasty escape from the Manor, Conrad had sought refuge at the South Fork Inn, where he had had his own suite for several years. He didn't know how he'd ever should meet Victoria again after what he'd done. He still couldn't grasp that he almost had forced her to have sex with him against her will. But when he had seen the disheveled bed, where she just had sex with David, it had pushed him over the edge. Groaning, he dropped onto the bed and buried his head in his hands. By his soul, he regretted what he had done. But would Victoria just accept his excuse? He doubted it. In addition, she had clearly shown with her attitude towards David that she considered their marriage to be over. He might have changed her mind, but not after his aggressive attack. With this action he had driven her even more into David's arms. But he could not give up on her without a fight. He shook his head resolutely. He would fight for his marriage, and if it was the last thing he would do! He had been so engrossed in thought that he flinched in fright as he heard a knock at the door to his suite. No one else except the hotel staff knew he was here. And he couldn't remember having ordering something. "Who is there?" He asked warily.

"Room service, sir!"

Frowning, he went to the door and opened it. He saw a man in the typical uniform of the staff of the South Fork Inn, who had a gilded serving trolley with him. "I haven't ordered anything," he said tightly.

"This is our special service for special guests."

Conrad was still not convinced. "I am a regular guest," he said impatiently. "Are you new here?"

The man nodded eagerly. "I've only been working here for a few days." He cleared his throat. "Please, Mr. Grayson, I'll lose my job if I don't carry out my assignment!"

"You were commissioned to bring me dinner?" Conrad asked skeptically.

The man nodded. "Freshly made by the head cook," he explained.

Conrad looked at the man with a frown, wondering what to do. At least he knew his name, so he apparently belonged to the hotel staff.

"Mr. Grayson?" The man from the room service looked at him expectantly.

"All right, come in." Conrad opened the door further so that the man could push his trolley into the room and pointed to the table. "You can put it there, I'll take what I want."

"Sorry, but my boss said I'm supposed to do the job personally."

Conrad looked at the man confused. Something about his tone bothered him, even though he couldn't say what it was. But he didn't have to marvel about it for long as the man pulled out a rifle from under the serving trolley and aimed it at him. "W-what do you want?" He stammered.

"With the best regards from Mr. Bellows," the main said, grinning.

"B-Bellows?" Conrad looked at the man puzzled. "I... I don't know a Mr. Bellows." He raised his arms defensively and blenched. "You are in the wrong suite."

"Nice try." The false employee continued to aim his rifle at Conrad. "You are Conrad Grayson, general manager of Grayson Global." It was not a question but a statement.

Conrad nodded hesitantly as he broke out in a cold sweat. The man didn't bluff. He really wanted to kill him!

"Then you're the right person." The man nodded contentedly. "It would be a pity if I hit the wrong one."

Conrad closed his eyes reflexively as he saw the man's finger bend as he pulled the trigger. He shrieked and ducked down to avoid the bullet. But that the attempt to save his life had failed, he realized when he felt a sharp pain as something struck his neck. He grabbed his throat and noticed at the same time how everything around him became black. So that was how his life would end, murdered in a hotel room, was the last thing that flashed through his mind before his legs gave way under him and he sank to the ground...


	30. Abduction

**South Fork Inn, Hamptons**

Charlotte went to the hotel's reception counter and introduced herself. "Charlotte Grayson," she said firmly. "Is my father, Conrad Grayson, currently a guest at your hotel?"

The young lady behind the counter looked at her computer and then nodded. "Yes, he checked in here this morning, Suite 205." She reached for the phone. "Should I announce your arrival?"

"There's no need for it," Charlotte said hastily. "I'm his daughter."

The lady looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before pointing to the elevator. "A lovely stay at the South Fork Inn!" She smiled, then turned back to her work.

Charlotte went to the elevator where Emily and Nolan were waiting for her. Together, they entered the elevator cell, and Charlotte pressed the '2'. "Room 205," she told the others.

"So he is really here?" Emily asked, amazed that her assumption had been confirmed.

Charlotte nodded. "He must've booked in here after he had left the house." She wiped her sweaty hands on her pants. "I'm totally nervous," she confessed. "What should I tell him?"

"How about the truth?" Nolan suggested. "Perhaps his guilty conscience awakens when he learns that you know what he did to your mother."

Charlotte let out a sigh. "Yes, maybe that would be the best thing," she agreed.

They had reached the floor and got out of the elevator and went down the hall until they found the suite with the number '5'. Hesitantly, they stopped for a moment before the door and listened. But they couldn't hear the slightest noise. Charlotte was about to knock as Emily exclaimed, "The door is unlocked!" In fact, the door was ajar, so that they could enter without hindrance.

"I have a bad vibe about this. You too?" Nolan looked uncertainly between the women back and forth and pulled out his gun as they both nodded.

Emily exchanged a look with Nolan and then carefully pushed the door open. "Conrad?" She asked, stepping into the entrance of the suite when she received no reply.

"Dad, are you there?" Charlotte followed Emily and then looked around. The first thing she noticed was a jacket that hung over a chair. "This belongs to my father," she concluded, and went further inside. She looked up. "That proves he was here," she said excitedly. "But where is he now?"

Nolan put his gun back in his pocket, went to a small table and picked up an item, which he eyed thoughtfully. "This is the keycard to the suite," he murmured, lost in thought. "Normally you take that with you when you leave the hotel room." He looked over to the adjoining bathroom, where the door was locked.

Emily understood what he wanted to say with his gaze and went to the bathroom door and knocked carefully. "Conrad, are you in there?" Again no answer. She looked at Charlotte, who was pale and nervously chewing on her lower lip.

Nolan went to the bathroom door and looked inside. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found the room empty. For a moment he had the crazy idea of finding Conrad drowned in the bathtub. He shook his head to expel the thought. He had clearly seen too many crime movies lately!

"I don't understand that." Emily frowned. "His keycard is on the table, his jacket hanging over the chair, all evidence that he must have been here, but where did he go?" She heard a scream and turned around quickly.

Charlotte knelt next to the sofa, her eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. "Is... is that... blood!?" She pointed with a trembling hand to the pale carpet, where one could clearly see a red-brown stain.

Nolan reacted instantly. He reached for Charlotte's arm and pulled her up. "Don't touch it!" he said urgently.

"That's blood, isn't it?" Shocked, she looked at him with wide eyes. "What happened here?" She stammered.

Nolan quickly exchanged a private look with Emily. Both had exactly the same idea. David had gotten there first. Clearly the dried blotch in the carpet was blood. Whether it was Conrad's or David's had to be proven. One thing was clear, they had to get out of here before anyone else believed they were responsible! "Get out!" He pushed Charlotte towards the door. "We need to go. I'll be no party to that!"

"But what about my father?" Charlotte said desperately. "Where is he, what happened to him?" She repeated again.

Emily shook her head helplessly. She didn't know what to tell Charlotte. She didn't know herself. She only worried that her father was involved in this.

"Come on!" Impatiently, Nolan grabbed Emily's arm. "We have no business to be here. It's the task of the police."

"Police?" Charlotte gasped out.

"Apparently a crime has been committed here," Nolan began, but stopped the sentence as he glanced at Emily, who shook her head slightly. He understood her without words. "So I really wanted to say that we don't know what happened and should leave the work to the police."

When Charlotte burst into tears, it was Emily who looked after her sister.

"I-I was angry at him for hurting my mother, but I didn't want him to be hurt," she sobbed.

"None of us wanted that," said Emily comfortingly, as she pressed Charlotte to herself. "We are going to the reception and share what we've found, and you'll know what to do."

"I have to tell my mom." Charlotte looked at Emily with tears in her eyes. "How am I supposed to explain what I did at the hotel?"

"You were worried because he just ran away," Nolan suggested. "That sounds plausible."

Emily gave a sigh of frustration as she took a last look at the suite. "I don't hope my father is responsible for it." It was a lie because she knew he had been. She heard his threat so clearly in her ears as if he were standing next to her at the moment. "Let's go," she said softly.

Silently they drove down with the elevator and then waited for Charlotte in the entrance hall.

"Mr. Grayson is not in his suite," she said with a trembling voice, placing the keycard on the counter. "The door to his suite was open. It looks like someone abducted him..."


	31. Confrontation

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

At the 'Stowaway', Ava tried to soothe the screaming Julian. Since she had returned with him, he cried the whole time. She had checked his diapers, offered him the bottle, even carried him back and forth in her arms for hours. Gradually, she ran out of ideas of what she could do to get him to sleep again. Perhaps he misses his familiar surroundings or his mother, she thought. She wished that at least Jack had been there to ask for advice. But he was out of the house for a few hours to run errands. "Sh sh sh... don't cry," she said soothingly to the baby, whose face had turned crimson because of the screaming and trembled slightly. She laid him on the bed and carefully began to undress him. Perhaps he's just too warm, she thought. In fact, his bare skin felt hot under her hands. The realization hit her all of a sudden. He was not only too warm, he was burning hot! The screaming had stopped abruptly as well. Frightened, she drew back from him and reached for her cell phone. She had to call someone who knew what to do if a baby had a fever. She dialed Jack's number and was relieved that he was on right away.

 _"Ava, what's going on?"_

She had no time to tell him what had happened before, so she limited her story to letting him know that Julian was with her because Emily had to do other things. "I don't know what to do," she said desperately. "He was restless all the time and was only crying, and now he is lying there and..." She looked at the baby who was now lying motionless on the bed. "Oh God, Jack... he... he's not moving any more!"

 _"Is he still breathing?"_

Eva walked to the bed with shaking legs and bent over the baby. "He... he's sleeping now," she said.

 _"Call an ambulance!"_

"What?"

 _"What you have described sounds like a febril seizure._ _He needs medical help."_

"Oh God..." Fear choked her. What if the baby would die? Emily would never forgive her!

 _"Stay calm! Everything will be fine. Carl had the same when he was younger. Call the ambulance! We'll meet at the hospital."_

"Can... can I do anything else?" She asked with a trembling voice.

 _"Inform Emily and Daniel!"_

"Okay, I'll hang up then." Ava hung up and then pressed the emergency call button. She informed the emergency call service about what Jack had told her and then hung up again. Why did this happen to her now, she asked herself desperately, as she went back to the bed and stared down at the sleeping baby. His little face was still red, his hair drenched in sweat, but he was breathing, she noticed relieved, as she saw his chest rise and fall. She reached for the cell phone and began to dial again. "Emily, it's Ava," she said on the answering machine. "Julian had a fever seizure, but don't worry, I've already called an ambulance." She hung up and closed her eyes. Not really a message that someone should talk on the answering machine. Emily would get the shock of her life when she heard the news! When she heard the emergency car arrive, she ran quickly downstairs and opened the door. "He's upstairs," she told the emergency team, pointing up the stairs. Nervously and anxiously at the same time, she followed the paramedics, who looked after the infant right away.

 **Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

When David entered the house, he met a scared Victoria. "What happened?" He asked, frowning.

"The police was here..." She wrapped her arms around her body. "It seems that someone broke in Conrad's suite at the South Fork Inn," she explained.

He noticed how she was slightly trembling and put his arms around her. "Was something stolen?"

She shook her head. "He has his stuff at the suite in case he has to stay there, which has happened several times." She cleared her throat. "He always met with Lydia there, but nothing was stolen, according to the police."

"He used the suite as a love nest?" David said in disbelief. "And he accuses you of being a cheater. He should mind his own business!"

"David..." She looked at him with a serious look. "Tell me the truth... Where you in his suite?"

"Why should I?" He looked at her, frowning.

"Because..." She freed herself from his arms and took a step back. "... they found bloodstains on the carpet in the living area."

"They?" David repeated, uncomprehending.

"The tracking of the special forces."

"And what do I have to do with it?"

"You threatened him," she said simply, looking at him with a knowing look. "And now he's missing, leaving only a bloodstain behind."

"Is it already proven that it's his blood?" He tried not to show how much the news pleased him. Apparently his order had been successfully completed.

Victoria nodded. "What did you do?" She said accusingly and crossed her arms in front of her body.

He took a step towards her and was surprised when she shrank back. "Victoria, what's wrong?"

"Please leave, David!" She pointed to the door. "Emily was right, I should never have let you in again!"

"Emily?" He echoed, bewildered. He couldn't believe his own daughter had betrayed him.

"If you did something to Conrad, that's all my fault!"

He looked at her plaintive gaze and wondered what had gone wrong. He thought she'd be grateful to him for getting him off her back. But apparently, she was worried about him. "You told me you'd lived in a loveless marriage for years, you wanted to leave him," he reminded her. "You even wanted to divorce him and leave the country with me."

"I didn't say you should kill him!" she said furiously. "You could have discussed this topic in peace."

"In peace?" He reproached contemptuously. "You have experienced yourself how unreasonable he was when it came to the topic." He looked at her. "What exactly did Emily tell you?" He changed the subject.

Victoria took a deep breath before she answered. "She warned me," she said reluctantly. "She said you'd only come back to take revenge on Conrad. She didn't tell me anything new. You showed that impressively when you threatened him. But it was new to me that you only used me to get to Conrad." She walked up to him and looked him in the eye. "Tell me the truth, David, did you just use me?"

The question came as a surprise, and for a moment he didn't know what to answer. Before he had returned to the Hamptons, he had actually meant to use her only to take revenge on Conrad. But already on her first meeting he had realized that he still had feelings for her. Real feelings. Why his plan to eliminate Conrad was even more tempting. He would get everything back what Conrad Grayson had stolen from him, Victoria in addition. But so disgusted and suspicious as she looked at him now, she would hardly go with him voluntarily. It looked as if everything had not gone according to plan. "If you believe that after what was between us, it might be really better if I go now," he said, indignantly. He hoped that Victoria would get soft, but she nodded in silence. There was nothing left for him but to retreat temporarily. He had other things to do anyway. He refrained from embracing Victoria once more, though he did not want anything else. She looked so forlorn and helpless. Had she lied to him? Did she actually feel anything for her husband? He left the manor with a certain purpose in mind; To convince himself, that his plan to keep Conrad Grayson out of his way forever, had worked.


	32. Compassion

**Suffolk County Memorial Hospital**

Ava paced nervously back and forth in the hospital waiting room, waiting for news of Julian's condition. She hoped that the doctor would tell her since they were not blood-related. Although she had spoken several times on Emily's voicemail, she had not called back. Fortunately, she had managed to reach Daniel, who had promised to come at once. But it was Jack who arrived first.

"How is he?" He asked anxiously, carefully taking her into his arms.

"I don't know." Ava sank tiredly against him. "They've been with him in the treatment room for half an eternity."

"They'll give him something to make the fever go down," he guessed. "And then they will examine him more closely to find out what caused the fever." He looked at her with a serious face. "Did you reach Emily or Daniel?"

"Only Daniel," Ava nodded. "I don't know where Emily is, even though I've tried several times to call her."

"Let's talk." Jack gently took her arm and led her to a seat. "Sit down," he demanded. "I have to tell you something."

"What's happening?" She looked at him anxiously, then followed his request.

"You took care of Julian all the time and probably had no chance to listen to the radio or watch TV," he began, and continued as she looked at him questioningly, "It was just published..." He took a deep breath. "Conrad Grayson has disappeared! He was last seen at the South Fork Inn. Then they lost track of him." He interrupted his speech and sighed. "They've found bloodstains in the suite that are clearly from Grayson."

"Oh my God!" Ava panted shocked, as she realized what that meant. "I should never have allowed them to take matters into their own hands!"

"What are you talking about?" Jack looked at her confused. "Do you know anything about this?"

Ava knew she could trust Jack, so she told him what Nolan, Charlotte, and Emily had entrusted to her.

"Then it was probably the three of them who were in Conrad's suite and found the bloodstains," Jack mused.

Ava nodded. "Yes, it has to be so, why she switched off her mobile phone so that nobody could track her."

"Does Daniel know... I mean about his father's disappearance?"

"Ask him." Ava gestured down the hall. " There he is."

Jack got up from his chair and walked slowly towards Daniel. He didn't like the young Grayson. And he'd been anything but enthusiastic when he realized Emily had seriously fallen in love with the heir of the Grayson Empire. But he was a father himself and knew how Daniel must feel now. So before he could assail him with questions, he started first.. "He's still in the treatment room," he told the young father. "His condition is stable." It was a lie, since he couldn't know how the baby really was. But he saw Daniel's panicky expression and suddenly felt something like compassion.

"Where is Emily? How could that happen?" Daniel asked nervously.

Ava exchanged a quick glance with Jack. She didn't know what to answer to his questions. She didn't want to betray Emily and her friends. But of course it was quite a legitimate question. Her baby was in the hospital. She should be with him now. She breathed a sigh of relief as Jack took over the conversation.

"He had a febrile seizure," he said quietly. "Emily had asked us to take care of Julian because she wanted to run some errands."

"Where is she now?" Daniel asked, frowning.

Jack was about to answer when he saw the door to the treatment room open, and the doctor emerged.

"Are you the parents?" He turned to Jack and Ava.

"No, I'm the father," Daniel interjected and introduced himself. "Daniel Grayson."

"Grayson?" The doctor looked at him, frowning. "Are you related to Conrad Grayson?"

Ava held her breath as she looked quickly at Daniel, who apparently had no idea what had happened to his father.

"Yes, he's my father," he explained, confused about the question. "Why do you want to know?"

Jack reacted immediately and quickly grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him aside. "Your father has disappeared," he explained to the bewildered Daniel. "It was published about half an hour ago in the news."

"Disappeared?" He repeated in an evenly voice.

The doctor joined them. "The police was here an hour ago. They probably thought they would find your father here." He cleared his throat and took up a professional stance again. "As for your son, he is doing well so far. He had a febrile seizure, but fortunately it was a mild one. It hasn't caused any permanent damage. But we don't know yet what has induced the high fever. We are going to keep him here for a few days to make further tests." He looked at Daniel with a serious look. "He was born premature, and it's very likely that his present condition is still connected with this."

Daniel nodded as if stunned. His worst nightmare had come true. And now Emily was not available! "Can... I see him?" He asked hesitantly.

The doctor nodded. "Of course, come with me, I'll take you to him."

Daniel had just left the waiting room with the doctor when Jack turned to Ava. "Poor Daniel," he murmured, lost in thought.

Surprised, she looked at him. "I thought you didn't like him."

"That I don't like him has nothing to do with the fact that I know how he feels now," he said, raising his eyebrows. "As a father myself, I can empathize. And then the affair with his own father..." He raised his head and looked at Ava with a serious look. "What do you think happened to Conrad?"

"No idea." She shrugged helplessly. "But that they have found traces of blood in his suite gives little hope."

"I can't say I like Conrad Grayson, but I hope they'll find him," he said, then added, "alive!" He put his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go, I think our work is done here."

Ava hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I think we can't do anything for the moment," she agreed. "I would have liked to wait for Emily, but maybe we'll go home first and try to call her again from there." She reached for Jack's hand, and together they left the hospital.


	33. Faith

**Beach House, Hamptons**

David changed his plan as he stepped out of the manor and his eyes wandered automatically to the beach house. Amanda had betrayed him. He would teach her a lesson. No one would get in his way, not even his own daughter. He couldn't allow himself becoming sentimental. He had come too far to get everything ruined. Determined, he went over to the beach house and knocked firmly at the entrance door. He was surprised when the door was opened immediately.

"Come in!" She took his arm and pulled him into the house. "I don't want anyone to see us."

He followed her inside, and she closed the door behind him. For a moment they stood facing each other. He had wanted to tell her so much, but now words failed him. She looked so vulnerable as she was standing in front of him.

"What have you done?"

It was the same question Victoria had already asked. But hearing it from Amanda it sounded much more like an accusation. She was disappointed in him. He could clearly see that. And it moved something in him that he had thought lost. "I don't know what you mean." Perhaps it was better to deny everything. No one could prove his involvment in the kidnapping.

"Why did you kill Conrad?"

He was surprised about her open, confrontational nature. But she had been like this as a child. Amanda had always spoken frankly.

"Your silence tells me I hit the mark. Am I right?" She tilted her head and looked at him curiously.

He couldn't explain why he suddenly felt the need to justify himself. "Why do you think I should have done that?" He asked.

"You threatened him." She jerked her shoulders casually and then raised her head and looked at him with a firm look. "Charlotte has been listening to you, and she came to me to ask for help, and together with Nolan we drove to the South Fork Inn because we suspected Conrad there. We wanted to warn him, but it was too late." She took a deep breath before continuing. "We found his suite empty, but apparently your contract killer did a poor job because he left a blood spot on the carpet."

One thing he had to give her. She had a good sense for detective work. He was also impressed that she apparently accepted the fact that her father was a murderer. "If you think I've let your father-in-law killed, are you not afraid I could do the same with you?" He looked at her with a curious look.

"No. Do you think I would have let you in if I hadn't prepared myself before?" She asked sarcastically, pulling out a weapon out of nowhere.

He raised his arms as he stared into the barrel of a small-caliber pistol. "You wouldn't do that," he said, but a look into her eyes made him realize she would be capable of doing so. All the warmth had disappeared. So not only had he changed in the twenty years, Amanda had, too. "You wouldn't shoot your own father," he tried again.

"You are no longer my father! You have become a monster!"

He flinched involuntarily. It hurt to hear the words from her mouth. "He's alive," he said without thinking. "Conrad is not dead!" He repeated once more as he saw her disbelieving expression. "It's true, I've hired someone to kidnap him and then take him to a safe place."

"You lie because you want to save your skin!" She held the gun a little higher, toward his eyes, while she continued to stare at him incredulously.

"I swear to you, I tell the truth!" He easily shifted his position and looked at her with a pleading look. "He's in an underground dungeon."

"And the blood on the carpet?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"They have used a sedative dart to put him to sleep," he said. "I was not there, but I think he might have been hurt when he fell." He closed his eyes for a moment. Now the truth was out, and strangely enough, he felt relieved, even though he was aware that he had surrendered to Amanda. He saw her slowly lowering the pistol, but still holding on to it.

"Take me there!" she decided.

"Where? To the dungeon?" He asked, confused.

She nodded. "You have to forgive me, I'm a little skeptical, if you tell the truth, where you've lied to me all the time." She glanced at him, a mixture of skepticism and mistrust. "What would have been the next step? Would you have him killed or tortured?" she interrogated him further.

His dismay was not even played. She seemed to really believe that he was a monster. "No." He shook his head. "You might not believe me, but I didn't want to do anything like that. Although I would have threatened him to kill his family," he said reluctantly. "What I never would have done," he added. "But I think that this threat alone would have brought him to reason. I would have given him a new identity, and he could have started a new life somewhere else." He shrugged. "Conrad Grayson would have been dead for his family and the public eye, kidnapped and murdered."

"You wanted him to go through the same," Emily concluded.

David nodded. "Only that I would have stood on the other side, I would have had the fame, the wealth, Grayson Global, Victoria ..." He sighed deeply and ran through his short hair. "Why did you have to interfere? I was that close to get everything back..." He showed the distance by putting together thumb and pointing finger.

"You wanted revenge." She nodded slightly, still holding the pistol in her hand. "I understand that better than you might think. I wanted the same when I came here, and I almost lost everything. It was almost too late when I realized how much I had changed. I literally walked over dead bodies, used people for my purposes, deceived and manipulated them." She looked at him thoughtfully. "I was back on my way to jail. A return to my old life seemed impossible, but then I was shot, fell overboard and lost my memory." She took a deep breath before continuing. "It was my chance to start a new life, and I took it. I'd spent years on taking vengeance , but I had enough of it. I wanted to live a normal life again, fall in love, feel joy. I had to learn everything new, but I had people who helped me. So I learned to trust and ultimately to forgive again. I won't forget what they did to you and me. But I'm a Grayson now, my son is a Grayson, just like the man I love." She went to the table and put the gun on it. "You're right, I'm not capable of killing you because you're just a part of me as the Graysons are, and ... because I've become a different person," she added softly.

He nodded. There was a time when he felt the same way. But was it really that easy to forget everything and start a new life? It sounded so simple when she said that. After what he had done, could he really go back to what he had been? He pointed to the door. "Come with me!" He demanded. "I'll take you to Conrad."

She looked at him skeptically. "Who tells me that you won't hold me captive, too?"

He raised his eyebrows amused. "You're talking about forgiveness all the time, then maybe you should have a little more faith." He noticed her hesitation. "Do I take from your hesitation, that you still doubt me?"

"Let's go!"

He looked at her for a moment, frowning. It was not an answer to his question, but it was more than he could expect in the situation. He felt relieved that she left the gun in the beach house as she followed him out and closed the door behind them.


	34. Farewell

**On the road...**

Emily didn't know how long they had been driving, when the colonization became sparse and the vegetation thicker. Suddenly, David drove off the main road and straight into the forest, where one could only drive on a dirt road. The car was skidding back and forth as he tried to avoid the potholes, and Emily clung to the seat. Under normal circumstances she would have been frightened now, but she was well equipped. In her pocket she had her cell phone, which had recorded their conversation in the beach house; In her bra sewn-in a mini-tracker, which would give her whereabouts away when she switched it on. Nolan had not wanted to let her go back to the beach house without these precautions. As if he had guessed David was going to see her there. He had also given her the gun, which she was to use in an emergency. So she was very well prepared. But the closer she got to the dungeon, the more she had doubts to turn her father in. He'd been through enough in the past decades. She had been relieved when he had confessed to her that he had not killed Conrad. So he was not an ice-cold murderer, as she had originally believed, but only a man who wanted to take revenge, but in a way that wouldn't hurt anyone. He just wanted to get back what had been stolen from him. And the idea of kidnapping Conrad and then blackmailing him in leaving the country was a brilliant move in her opinion. She could even understand him a little, because she almost did the same a few years ago. If she was thinking about her plan to fake her own death and put the blame on Victoria, she was still inwardly shivering. She was not much better than David, it flashed through her mind. Should she accuse him of what she almost had done herself? She shook her head involuntarily and noticed how he gave her a questioning look.

"What's the matter?" He asked, frowning.

"Is it far away?" She looked out of the window and saw nothing but shrubs and trees, which rushed past them and partly also brushed the car.

David nodded. "It's not far. We're almost there."

"How did you learn about the dungeon?" She asked, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.

"After I escaped twenty years ago, I've been hiding there for a while," he explained. "It's an old dugout, hidden in the forest, surrounded by a rocky landscape. No one suspected me there, and I could submerge that way without leaving any traces."

"What about food and water?" She asked curiously.

"I stole most of it or searched garbage cans." He grimaced. "I don't want to think about these days. I've literally lived like a vagabond for a while. But after I had left the US and got a new identity, everything fell into place."

"Did you have people who helped you?"

He nodded. "I still knew people, former inmates. They gave me the new identity and allowed me to leave the country."

"Why have you never tried to get in touch with me?" She had wanted to ask him this question earlier, but she didn't know how.

"I didn't know if you would have believed me that I was innocent," he confessed to her. "Besides, I was threatened that you got killed if I wouldn't leave the country and got out of your way."

"Who threatened you?" She frowned at him. "Conrad?" When her father nodded, the puzzle-pieces-clicked together. She understood better now why he had Conrad kidnapped and wanted to fake his death.

"I'm sure he did all of this to keep me away from Victoria," he said bitterly. "He couldn't bear the thought that she loved me and not him."

"You probably still think she's an innocent victim," Emily began reluctantly. "But I'm sure she knew what Conrad was up to."

"What gives you that idea?" He asked, confused.

"I have been able to get to know her in the last few years and I know what she is capable of doing. She's not as innocent as you may believe. She knows exactly how she can manipulate people. And even if I think she really had feelings for you at the time, she didn't mind that you were arrested. I'm sure she knew that Conrad wanted to frame you." Startled, she screamed as he jammed on the brakes and then stopped the car.

"She called..." he murmured, looking at her.

"What?"

He nodded. "You're right. Just before I was arrested, I got a call from Victoria," he remembered. "She probably wanted to warn me. But it was too late."

"So you believe me?" She asked, surprised.

He nodded hesitantly. "That explains why she avoided me at the time and visited me in jail only once. It was probably Conrad's doing too. She was only his puppet."

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, carefully placing her hand on his arm. "If I had known earlier that you were still alive, I would have helped you to rectify the injustice that was done to you. But now..." She shrugged.

"Now you are a different person and don't want to take revenge," he continued her sentence and nodded. "I understand." He opened the door and got out. "We have to take a walk. Then we are there."

After a short walk through the forest, Emily finally saw the dugout, where Conrad Grayson was supposedly held. She hesitated a moment before turning to her father, determined by her decision. "Go back!" She gestured along the path they had come. "Take the car, drive to the airport and leave the country!"

He looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

She slowly pulled the cell phone out and then grabbed under her shirt and tore the tracker from her bra. "Here!" She held the two things under his nose. "Everything is recorded, our entire conversation in the beach house. And when I press the button on the tracker, everyone knows where I am. It's your last chance!" She said urgently. "I don't want them to arrest you again, but that will happen if someone links you to Conrad's abduction."

"You have... fooled me...?" He stammered disbelievingly.

"My God! Just go!" She shouted and pushed him. "It's my fault that your plan didn't work. And I know if you stay, you'll lose more than just wealth and power and Victoria Grayson! They'll put you in jail, and this time they'll make sure you stay there for good!"

For a moment, they just looked at each other, and it almost broke Emily's heart as she realized she was going to lose her father again. Silently, she took the bunker-key, which he gave her and swallowed the tears down bravely.

"Amanda..." he said softly, touching her cheek tentatively. "I promise you, I'll get in touch with you as soon as I'm safe and out of the country."

She couldn't hold back the tears any longer as he turned around and disappeared between the bushes. She had been brave all the time, but now her arduous façade collapsed. The thought that she was all alone in the deserted forest not knowing what she would find behind the iron door of the dugout, triggered anxiety in her. She had the tracker and her cell phone, she tried to console herself. But she couldn't use both. She had to give him a head start. She didn't know how long she had been sitting on a rock in front of the dugout when she spontaneously decided that enough time had passed. Her hand trembled slightly as she put the key in the lock of the heavy iron door and then slowly turned it around...


	35. Confession

****Beach House, Hamptons****

When Daniel returned to the beach house, because he hoped that Emily had finished her errands, he first caught sight of the gun that was lying on the table in the living room. Hesitantly, he picked it up and stared down at it. He didn't know where the gun came from or who it belonged to. But that it was accessible lying around raised new questions. Where was Emily, and what was the weapon doing in his house? He put it back on the table and then ran up the stairs. "Emily, are you there?" He shouted, but didn't get a reply. Everything seemed to be normal. So apparently no one had tried to break into the beach house. He reached for the cell phone and dialed her number but got only her answering machine again. Something was wrong, and his mood gradually changed from being mad that she was not answering his calls, to real concern that something might have happened to her. It was still too early to inform the police. But if she stayed vanished, he had to call them in. _Vanished!_ It shot through his mind. What a strange, odd coincidence that his father and his wife had disappeared on the same day! Was it really just a coincidence, or had they both been abducted? He couldn't wait any longer. He had to seek for her! He reached for the gun, put it in his pocket, and had just set his foot on the porch as he saw Nolan and Charlotte running up the stairs.

"Is Emily at home?" Nolan shouted at him, completely out of breath.

Daniel shook his head slowly and frowned. "I've been looking for her all day," he said. "She didn't respond to any of my calls." He took a deep breath. "Julian is at the hospital." He saw Charlotte looking at him with a shocked expression. "He's fine," he continued quickly. "He had a high fever and then got a febrile seizure. The doctors have everything under control. He just has to stay at the hospital for a while."

"Poor little boy!" Charlotte looked at him. "Does Emily know about it?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. As I said, I tried to reach her on her phone, but she didn't answer." He saw his sister exchanging glances with Nolan. "What's wrong?" He asked suspiciously. "Do you know something I don't know?"

Charlotte looked again at Nolan, who nodded reluctantly. "We believe she is trying to find Dad's kidnapper," she began.

"What... why?" Daniel stammered incoherently. "What does Emily have to do with it?"

"We were at the South Fork Inn," Nolan took over the conversation. "We were the ones who found the suite empty and then informed the police who identified the blood spot on the carpet as Conrad's." Nolan looked at him uncertainly. "You know about that, don't you?" He asked hesitantly as he watched Daniel staring at him with wide eyes. "It was all over the news."

"Yes, I know about it," he murmured, lost in thought. "I just don't understand what you have to do with it." He looked back and forth between them. "Charlotte?" He turned to his sister to get the answer.

"I... I can't tell you," she said hesitantly as she tried to avoid his gaze. "I just know we have to find Emily."

Nolan nodded. "We promise you that you'll find out everything, but it's more important now that we find Emily," he repeated again.

"What does Emily have to do with all of this?" When he didn't get an answer immediately and saw Nolan and Charlotte exchanging nervous glances again, he reached for the gun he had hidden in his pocket. "Then maybe one of you can explain to me what this is doing on the table in my living room...?" He fumbled with the weapon in front of Nolan's nose.

"Oh my God...!" Charlotte gasped, horrified. "You were right." She looked at Nolan. "He was really here!"

"Who the hell was here?" Daniel had enough of the secretiveness of the two. "Who was here, and where is Emily?" He demanded to know.

"David has her..." Nolan confessed.

"David?" Daniel echoed, looking confused. "You mean David Clarke?"

Charlotte nodded. "We assume that he first kidnapped Dad and apparently now Emily, too," she confessed desperately. "We warned her that this would happen. That's why Nolan had sewn a tracker into her clothes and asked her to record the conversation with David, if he were to appear in the beach house." She continued quickly when her brother didn't react. "She should turn on the tracking device when she leaves the house so we can locate her. But that has been an eternity. We have not received any sign of life from her since four hours! So we guess he might have spotted the tracker and then..." She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Daniel's horrified expression.

"I don't think he harmed her," Nolan interfered.

"What makes you so sure?" Daniel tried to remain calm despite the panic he felt.

"Emily is his..." Charlotte continued, but was interrupted by Nolan.

"Charlotte, don't...!" He warned.

"No, Nolan." She shook her head stubbornly. "It's time he learns the truth."

"What truth?" Daniel felt his stomach twitch nervously. "What are you hiding from me?"

Charlotte cleared her throat, then looked at him with a steady gaze. "Emily is in reality Amanda Clarke," she confessed to him frankly. "And David Clarke is her father..."


	36. Location

**Somewhere in the forest**

Emily didn't know what she had expected when she turned the key and then opened the door to the dugout. But it was not what she finally found. Conrad Grayson sat sunk down on a cot. Only the chains, which held his arms above his head and were fastened in the stone wall, prevented him from falling forward. He was blindfolded, and his mouth was sealed with an adhesive tape. Shocked by the sight, she approached him reluctantly as she felt her heart beat faster full of nervousness and fear. She saw blood dripping from a wound on his head. Was he already dead or just unconscious? Had her father lied to her? Had Conrad been murdered, then dragged here that she should find him? Her hand trembled as she put it on the spot on his neck where one could feel the pulse and was relieved when she felt a faint throb under her fingertips. He was alive!

Quickly she left the dugout again and reached for her cell phone. She had to inform Nolan and Charlotte and tell them that she had found Conrad. But when she was about to dial the number, she realized that she had no reception. Softly cursing, she walked a few steps back and forth, holding the phone upwards. But the connection remained dead. Where had she landed that she couldn't even make a phone call? She didn't know how long Conrad would hang on, and she couldn't stay forever in the forest. It would become dark real soon, and it would be even harder to find them here. There was only one way left. She had to activate the tracker and hope it worked. It was not the first time that the small device had saved her life, she recalled. And even though she had wanted to warn Nolan and Charlotte about what they would find here, it remained her only chance. Determined, she pressed the button and was relieved, when she noticed that the little lamp on the device lighted up, indicating that the tracker had started with the localization of her whereabouts.

 **Beach House, Hamptons**

"Emily is... who?!" Daniel blurted out. He cast a bewildered look at Nolan, who nodded confirming.

"It's true what Charlotte says. I just wish you would have learned it under different circumstances." He gave her a reproving look. "But since the cat is out of the bag now, it's time to take action." He cleared his throat. "Since she hasn't reported back for hours, we just have to start with the search somewhere." He went down the stairs of the porch and looked around as no one followed him. "Are you coming?"

Charlotte looked at her brother anxiously, who was still standing numb and motionless, staring at an imaginary point on the ground. "Is everything okay?" She asked softly, slightly touching his arm. "I'm sorry, Daniel! I didn't mean to burst out with it like that. I just found out recently myself. I've only told you because I wanted you to assess the situation better in which she is now."

He raised his head and looked at her. "She's... Amanda Clarke?" He tried to process the information. "But why... did she claim to be someone who... she isn't...?" He asked haltingly.

Charlotte shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "So far we haven't talked about it." She made a helpless hand movement. "So much has happened that we first had to take care of..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "First, David threatened Dad to destroy him," she started with her list. "Then Dad tried to rape Mom, and shortly thereafter he disappeared without a trace and we..."

"What are you saying?" Daniel interrupted. "Dad tried to rape Mom?!"

"Oh, I forgot, you don't know yet," she said, clearing her throat.

"No," he said bitterly. "But, apparently, I'm the only one who doesn't know what's really going on here." He quickly looked over at Nolan, who lowered his head in guilt. "So I suppose you all knew that Emily is Amanda Clarke?"

"It's really not the time right now to discuss these things," Nolan evaded the question.

"When is the right time according to you?" Daniel asked scoffing and folded his arms in front of his chest. "I think it's long overdue that I finally learn the whole truth!"

"Not now!" Charlotte tossed in. "We need to find Emily first. I'm not so sure that David won't harm her. I overheard the conversation between Dad and David. So much hate and resentment! He is capable of anything!" She looked at Daniel who had reached for his phone. "What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm calling the police!" he said resolutely. "If he is as dangerous as you say, then we can't do anything against him without help."

"It's just our assumption that he abducted Conrad and Emily," Nolan pointed out. "We have no proof of our surmise. And the police will hardly do anything with mere speculation." He rolled his eyes.

Slowly, Daniel lowered his phone. "But we can't just simply stand around here and wait!" He blurted exasperated. "We have to do something!"

"Guys, wait!" Nolan reached for his cell phone when he heard a buzz. "I picked something up!" He said excitedly, looking at the display with a frown. "This is a map." He raised his head and looked at the two of them. "This is the tracking device!" He breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally! Now we can locate her..."


	37. Rescue

****Somewhere in the forest****

Emily felt the exhaustion and stress of the past few hours when she returned to Conrad to the dugout. She felt slightly dizzy, for she hadn't eaten or drunk for hours, and the tiredness gradually came over her. _Just a little more time to wait,_ she tried to keep herself awake. At first, she had to help Conrad. She went to him and carefully removed the blindfolds and then the tape that had been pasted over his mouth. She didn't know how to free him from his chains, since she had no key. But perhaps this would help him, too. "Conrad?" She said cautiously, because he still didn't move. "Conrad, it's me, Emily." She looked around in his prison. There was nothing there she could treat his wound with. But luckily it was a superficial lesion, so it could be assumed that he wouldn't bleed out. Looking around, she noticed a bucket of water in a corner. There was even a ladle in it. She scooped a little water with it and then went back to her father-in-law and poured it carefully over his head. And indeed, the involuntary shower awakened him from his unconsciousness. Emily quickly went back to the bucket and took fresh water, which she then held to his mouth. "Here, drink this!" She demanded, and made it clear that he actually took some sips from the ladle.

After he had drunk enough, he opened his eyes and then looked at her dazed. "Em-ily...," he stammered faintly.

She nodded and looked at the chains with which he was bound. No chance to open it on her own, though she would have wanted to free him, because the chains had already left bloody gashes on his wrists.

Conrad moistened his dry lips. "What... what are you doing... here?" He asked wearily.

"Saving you," she said, pulling a handkerchief out of her trouser pocket, pressing it against his wound. "Help is on the way," she added, as he continued to look at her perplexed. "Can you remember anything? Who did that to you?" Tense she waited for his answer. On one hand, she was glad that she had found Conrad alive, on the other hand she feared that he suspected her who was responsible for his abduction. But to her great relief, he shook his head.

"I was... in my suite at the... South Fork Inn," he recalled. "There was a knock at the door. A... man came in and then..." He interrupted the sentence and looked at her with glassy eyes.

"And then?" She urged him gently.

"I... can't remember...," he stammered.

"So you don't know how you got here?" She asked. Although she had no idea herself how he had gotten here, she knew from her father's report that he had been put out of action with a tranquilizer dart. She looked at him. Apart from his wound on his head, he seemed to be doing fine. No sign of a more serious injury. So he had not been tortured. And he'd recognized her and knew he'd been in the hotel before being kidnapped. So obviously he didn't suffer from amnesia, which could be a possible consequence after a fall on the head.

He looked around and then looked at her questioningly. "Where am I?"

"In an old dugout," Emily replied. "Someone kidnapped you from the South Fork Inn and then brought you here." She gave him a scrutinizing look. "You really can't remember anything?"

"No, nothing." He looked up at the chains that held his arms in position. "Can you... get rid of them?"

"I wish I could. But I have no key or anything to break the chains." She hoped that Nolan had at least a pair of tongs to break them. The waiting was tugging at her nerves. She didn't know if the order kidnapper would return. She had received too little information from her father to get an idea of the situation. How dangerous were the men whom her father had ordered to kidnap Conrad? Apparently, they were capable to do anything for money. She recalled her last conversation with her father and wondered if he had managed to reach the airport, and if so if he had succeeded in getting out of the country.

"How did you find me?"

She had expected this question, but she didn't know what to answer. She couldn't tell him the truth, so she had to come up with a lie again. "Charlotte noticed how you left the Manor," she began hesitantly. It was still the part that was not a lie. "And since she was worried, she asked me for help, and we followed you to the South Fork Inn." Also not completely wrong. "Then we saw someone dragging you out of the suite against your will, and I followed the kidnapper's van up to here." It was the only plausible explanation she could think of how he got to this place.

"Kidnapper?" Conrad echoed, frowning. "Who has an... interest in.. kidnapping me?"

"Someone who believes he can grow rich by kidnapping the captain of industry, Conrad Grayson and demand ransom from his family," Emily suggested, shrugging. _Or someone who wants to take revenge,_ she thought quietly. She wondered what had happened to Conrad if her father had completed his plan. Would her father-in-law had voluntarily retreated and left the country? And if he had refused, how far would her father have gone? She shuddered at the thought that he might have been able to commit a murder. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she noticed too late that somebody was approaching the dugout from outside. Only when she heard a crackling sound did she raise her head. "There's someone coming!" She whispered and peered out the door to see who came to see her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized Nolan's blond hair. "It's Nolan and Charlotte!" She said and ran outside. But she stopped abruptly when she saw that the two had not come alone. "Daniel?!" She exclaimed, startled, just staring at him for a few seconds. The cool, derisive look he gave her didn't only give her the chills of an ominous foreboding, it also kept her from throwing herself in his arms. And when he greeted her and said her name, she knew her biggest fear had come true...

"Hello... Amanda."


	38. Testimony

**Southampton Police Department, NY**

"Thank you, Mrs. Grayson! You were a great help in saving the abducted victim! Without you Mr. Grayson would be dead by now. If everyone of our citizens were as alert as you, we would probably be able to solve our crimes much quicker!" The chief of police reached out to shake her hand.

Emily forced a smile, although she wanted to cry. She had lied. Once again. But what would she have said in her testimony? She couldn't tell the truth. She would have turned her father directly in to the police. So she had repeated her made up story, which she had already told Conrad in the dugout. And apparently she had been credible enough that the chief of police had come personally to her to thank her. As she stepped out of the interrogation room, Nolan approached her.

"How did it go?" He asked, looking at her nervously.

"If they were allowed to distribute awards here, I would have probably received one," she replied dryly. "For lying!" She rolled her eyes.

"You did the right thing," Nolan confirmed, nodding decisively.

"Maybe..." She shrugged and touched her head. The events of the day had drained her. She recalled the hours before, when they had rescued her father-in-law from his prison. A Police Squad had arrived in the forest after Nolan had tried to free Conrad from his chains without success. He was immediately taken to the hospital, where they had found out that he wasn't seriously injured. Victoria, who had been informed as well, had also rushed to the hospital. And then she and Nolan had been taken to the police department where she had been interrogated about the abduction at first. Charlotte had stayed with her father at the hospital.

"Hey!" Nolan said, looking worried at her as she staggered slightly. "Are you all right? You are white as a sheet!"

Emily took a deep breath and then nodded. "I'm fine. I have to go to Julian now." She didn't have much time to visit her little son. After she had learned that the boy was at the hospital, nothing could stop her from seeing him. And after Conrad had received medical care, she rushed to the pediatric ward to convince herself that he was doing well. But she had only been able to spend a few minutes with him, for the police had been waiting for her outside the door. She turned towards the exit, and just made a few steps, when all of a sudden a dizziness came over her.

"I won't let you go in that state!" Nolan, who walked beside her, took her arm and brought her to a chair. "When have you eaten or drank the last time," he asked, looking at her worriedly.

"I don't know." She leaned back and closed her eyes because everything was still spinning in front of her eyes. "I think it was in the morning when I had breakfast."

"Breakfast?" He looked at her in horror. "It's afternoon. No wonder you're feeling dizzy! Wait here! I'll get you something to eat and drink. "

"Thanks!" Emily slowly opened her eyes again. "Do you know where Daniel is?"

He nodded. "He's with his father." He cleared his throat uneasily and avoided her gaze. "Listen, I haven't had the chance to tell you how sorry I am, that I couldn't stop Charlotte from blurting out the truth about you to Daniel!"

She made a dismissive hand movement. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I should have told him the truth after I had regained my memory." She pointed to the room she had just come from. "I feel so bad for lying," she confessed sighing. "The police is convinced that I saved Conrad's life. They don't know that it was never my father's plan to kill him."

Nolan sat next to her in a chair and reached for her hand. "You can't know that," he said cautiously. "You only believe what David told you. But perhaps he had quite different plans."

"Did you see Victoria sucking up to Conrad and playing the loving wife?" She scoffed. "What a hypocrite! It hasn't been 24 hours since she was in bed with my father!"

"Psst!" He pressed a finger to her lips. "Not so loud! We're at the police department," he whispered to her. "Walls have ears here. You don't want them to know that everything is a big lie!"

"But everything is a big lie!" She suddenly burst out. "Daniel hates me now because I've kept my true identity a secret from him for years! And my father..." She broke off. To her own dismay, tears were streaming down her cheeks all of a sudden.

"Stop it, Ems!" Nolan tightened his hand around hers. "Don't do this to yourself! Daniel doesn't hate you. He only needs some time to process everything."

She shook her head with teary eyes. "Didn't you notice how he looked at me? So full of hatred and disgust. He will never forgive me for lying to him!"

"Em..."

"No, Nolan," she interrupted. "I've always known what would happen if he'd learn the truth. That's why I never said anything. I have built up an idyllic world because I was afraid of it. Basically, I've lied to myself all the time. And now... now I've lost everything..." Her voice broke.

He put his arm around her and hugged her to himself as she sobbed desperately on his shoulder. As the door opened to the interrogation room, he looked up.

"Nolan Ross?"

Carefully, he moved away from Emily and cast her a worried look. "Now it's my turn," he said, smiling nervously. "Can I leave you alone for a while?"

She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm looking for something edible in the meantime." She also forced a smile. "I'll wait here for you." When Nolan had entered the interrogation room, she slowly rose from her chair. Although she still felt light-headed, she could stand upright again. They had coordinated their stories. So she didn't fear that he would say something different. And yet her heart was throbbing with nervousness and her legs felt like jelly, as she set off to find something to eat.


	39. Collateral Damage

****Suffolk County Memorial Hospital****

Charlotte had just left her father's hospital room when she received a phone call. She recognized immediately that it was from Nolan and answered the call, listening to what he had to tell her... "I'm still in the hospital," she replied to his question where she was. "My mom is still with my father, and Daniel...?" She frowned. "I don't know. He left the room a while ago because he wanted to get a coffee. I'll go to the waiting room to check if he is there. Does Emily want to speak with him? Oh, okay. If she is still in the interrogation room, I'll tell him that he can meet her at the police department, okay? Good. By then, Nolan!" She put the phone back in her pocket and set out to find her brother. It didn't take long to find him, because he sat with a bowed head in the waiting room on a chair, holding a cup of coffee in his hands. Cautiously, she walked towards him. "Daniel?" She said softly and was just about to touch his shoulder as his head jerked up. She noticed instantly his gleaming eyes. Tears, she recognized and felt compassion for him. "Nolan called," she said, to break the oppressive silence. "He and Emily are still at the police department. She is just being interrogated." As he still stared into the distance, stunned, and didn't respond to her words, she carefully took the cup from his hands and placed it on a table. "Daniel, did you hear what I said?" At last he responded by nodding his head. "You should be with her. She needs you now."

"I don't want to see her."

She had waited for a response from him, but she hadn't expected that. Startled, she looked at him. "What do you mean, you don't want to see her?" She repeated.

"I correct myself..." He raised his head and looked at her. "I can't __bear__ to see her!"

Gradually, Charlotte realized what had been the reason for his bad mood. "You're still mad that she hasn't told you earlier that she's actually Amanda Clarke?" She made a conjecture.

His head shot up. "Mad?" He blurted out unrestrained and laughed mockingly. "It's not anywhere near what I'm feeling right now!"

"She saved our father's life," Charlotte pointed out. "You should be a bit more grateful at least."

"Perhaps she and her... _father_..." He emphasized the word 'father' in a special way... "initiated the abduction themselves, just to be hailed as heroes later on." He narrowed his eyes. "Didn't Mom even promise a finder's fee, for the one who finds Dad?" He shrugged. "The man was practically homeless. Perhaps he had asked his daughter for help in order to make use of the Grayson property."

Charlotte couldn't believe what he was saying. She knew that he was hurt, that Emily had concealed the truth from him. But that his hatred went so far that he believed she had initiated the abduction herself, she never would have thought. "Emily would never have done that," she said to her sister's defense.

"Oh really? Because you know her so well that you can judge that?" He said sarcastically. "I don't think so after you told me you just found out recently about her true identity."

"The name doesn't change the fact that I know her real character!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at him indignantly. "And you should know her, too, even though you are hurt now that she lied!"

"Who else knew about it?"

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"Who else knew that Emily is Amanda Clarke?" He clarified his question. When she didn't answer immediately, he laughed scornfully. "Let me guess... Nolan of course and... Jack probably, and I think her best friend Ava also knew about it. Am I right?"

Charlotte felt a lump forming in her throat. She nodded. "I had to promise her not to tell you anything," she confessed. "She knew you would react like that. So she didn't want to tell you about it. She was afraid of losing you."

He nodded, then rose from his chair. "I'll go to the beach house and pack a few things together," he said terse, turning towards the exit.

"You want to move out of the beach house?" She said, aghast, as she realized his intention.

Daniel nodded. "I think Mom and Dad certainly won't mind if I stay at the Manor for a while." He twisted his mouth. "The house is so big. They will hardly notice me."

"You should talk to Emily first," Charlotte said urgently.

"What's the point of that?" He shrugged, resigned. His rage had suddenly vanished. "So that she can tell me more of her lies?"

"The two of you are married, Daniel! You have a child together!" Charlotte resorted to pleas. "Please, you can't just leave her now!"

He sighed and raked through his hair. "I doubt that this marriage is even valid, for she had used a false name in the marriage certificate," he said bitterly. "But maybe that's not a bad thing. That will save me the trouble of filing for divorce."

At the word 'divorce,' Charlotte looked at him horrified. "You want a divorce?! And what about Julian?" She asked, bewildered.

"If I can prove that she already knew about Dad's kidnapping before, no judge in the world will grant custody to her," he said coolly, then simply walked off.

She stood there, dumbfounded, and gazed after him. She had to warn Emily! This was the only thing that crossed her mind. She couldn't allow him to part with her without giving her the chance to justify herself. Determined, she went towards the exit with the aim of driving to the police department to confide Emily in Daniel's plan.


	40. Resolution

**Nolan's Mansion, Hamptons**

Carefully, Emily took the cup of tea that Nolan handed her, noting that her hands were trembling. She was still befuddled about what Charlotte had told her at the police department, and why Nolan had then suggested to move the discussion to a more private place. Now she was sitting in the living room of Nolan's mansion while Charlotte's and Nolan's concerned glances focused on her, not knowing what to do to ease the pain she felt inwardly.

"I'll talk to Daniel again," Charlotte promised, placing a hand on Emily's thigh. "I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. He was just angry and overwhelmed with the whole situation." She let out a sigh. "Sometimes he just acts thoughtlessly, without actually thinking about the consequences."

Emily's hand went involuntarily to the scar that Daniel's shot had left. "Yes, I know what he is capable of when he is in despair and can't see a way out," she said quietly, lowering her head.

Charlotte's gaze had followed her hand. "That was back then. His feelings have changed. Daniel loves you! And he loves Julian. He would do nothing that could harm him."

"Sometimes love is not enough..." Emily felt a tear running out of her eye and then over her cheek. Resolutely, she wiped it away. Sentiments won't help her in her situation. She had to think unemotionally. "I have no doubt that he will report me to the police, without batting an eyelash, if he finds out that I helped my father to escape," she said quietly. "If his hatred already goes so far as to take Julian away from me, then he is capable of that, too."

Charlotte looked at her with a tormented expression, while Nolan nodded reluctantly.

"I'm afraid Emily is right," he said slowly. "And it doesn't matter whether he loves her or not. Yes, I even think he loved her when he shot at her back then. But he is too hurt and furious about her renewed breach of trust to see that. Sometimes hate is stronger than any other feelings."

"I can't stay..." Emily knew the moment she voiced it loudly that it was true. She couldn't risk losing Julian. She had already lost everything else.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte looked at her confused.

"I have to leave the country." Emily looked at Nolan. "Please, you have to help me!" She begged him. "He won't rest until he finds out I helped my father. I'm an accomplice then. In addition, he will probably tell everyone that I'm Amanda Clarke." She looked at Charlotte. "He said he's in doubt that our marriage is valid?"

Charlotte nodded hesitantly.

"Well, maybe he's right." She shrugged. "If he can prove that I have lied to him intentionally, he will try to annul the marriage."

"Emily, no..." Charlotte reached for her hand. "I don't want you to go!" Tears welled in her eyes. "Then what will become of us? I just found my sister. Shall I lose her right away?" She said desperately.

"I'm sorry!" Emily squeezed her hand and then turned to Nolan. "Can you help me?" She repeated her request from before.

He nodded reluctantly. "You want me to get you a new ID and airplane tickets." It was not a question but a statement.

Emily nodded. "The doctors told me that Julian can be released at the weekend. I have to get him out of the hospital unnoticed. Daniel or anyone else can't know about it. After that I go straight to the airport. I can't risk going back to the beach house again."

"You're really determined to go through with this, right?" Charlotte looked at her with sad eyes.

"Do I have a choice?" When no one answered, she put the cup of tea back on the table and rose. "I would like to say goodbye to Ava and Jack," she said softly, looking at Nolan. "Can you take me to the bar? And another request..." She ran a tired hand through her hair. "Can I stay with you for a couple of days until everything is prepared for my departure?" As he jumped up and pulled her into a tight hug, her self-control crumbled. She let the tears run down freely and pressed her face to his shoulder. She could feel Charlotte embracing her from behind, sobbing silently. She suddenly became aware of the extent of her decision to leave the country, Daniel, Charlotte, and her friends for good, and she clung to Nolan, who simply held her, patting her back and hair, whispering reassuring words.

Charlotte was the first who took a step back. "Where are you going?" She asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Until then Emily had not really thought about her destination. But as she started to ruminate on that now, she suddenly had a flashback about her engagement party, four years ago, when Daniel had searched for her and had found her on the beach...

 _"Come to Paris with me!"_

 _"What?"_

 _"I already bought the tickets. Just let's go!"_

 _"Daniel, that's crazy!"_

 _"The further away we are from my family, the more chance we have doing this right."_

 _"I can't. My life is here... our lives are here. Running away isn't the answer."_

 _"Sometimes it's the only answer. There is nothing for me here but secrets and lies."_

 _"I'm here."_

 _"And why is that exactly? Why do you wanna marry me, Emily?"_

 _"Because I love you!"_

 _"Then come away with me!"_

Charlotte took her out of her trance-like state. "Emily? I asked where you want to go?"

She raised her head and looked at her sister, thoughtfully. "Paris," she replied quietly. She couldn't save her marriage. But maybe she would be able to build a new life in Paris. Daniel had been right back then. Sometimes running away was the only answer. She wondered if she could have saved her marriage if she'd left with him. She turned to Nolan. "My decision has been made," she repeated. "Can you get me a ticket to Paris?"


	41. Hope

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

"Are you ready?" Nolan looked at Emily with a concerned look, then, after she had nodded, opened the door to the 'Stowaway'.

"Hey!" Ava greeted the two and stepped around the bar to hug them. "How is Julian?" She asked worried, looking at Emily.

"He's much better." Emily smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You did the right thing to call the ambulance. Thanks again!"

"I'm glad he's better." She had noticed the tense atmosphere and looked back and forth between Nolan and Emily. "Is there a particular reason why you're here?"

Nolan nodded and pointed at Emily. "Is Jack around as well? Emily wants to say goodbye."

"Say goodbye?" Ava echoed, looking befuddled at her friend. "Do you want to go on a journey?"

"This is a long story." Emily gestured to the tables. "Do you have some time? Then I'll tell you everything."

"I just can't believe that..." Ava shook her head as if dazed after both had informed her about the occurrences of the last few hours. "I may not know Daniel for as long as you do, but I can still remember how he pushed you out of the line of fire after you bravely had stepped between him and Aiden's gun. He was ready to die for you! Which man does this voluntarily? I mean, what greater proof of love can he give to you?"

It hurt to be reminded of the bittersweet times they had shared. The times when their love had been deep enough to die for each other. Her eyes filled with tears. It was not that she wanted to leave, the circumstances forced her to do so. She didn't know if Charlotte had succeeded in talking sense into Daniel. She only knew that she couldn't stay if he still wanted to go through with the divorce and to claim sole custody.

"Oh no!" Ava squeezed Emily's hand consolingly. "Now I've made you cry. I didn't mean to!"

"It's okay." She wiped her eyes. "You are right. We loved each other very much. But that's months ago. Feelings can change."

Ava nodded. "I know that. When I met you, you wanted to ruin the Graysons. You had such a blind hatred for them that it almost destroyed you. You only married Daniel to take revenge on his parents. You were cold and calculating. And look at you now..." She raised her eyebrows. "You have become a different person. You have learned to love and to forgive."

Nolan nodded. "Ava is right. You have become a different person. We just have to make Daniel see that."

Hope gleamed in her eyes. "You think that's possible?"

Ava and Nolan nodded in unison.

"Don't give up just yet," Ava begged. "You can't just throw away everything you've built up here. Besides..." She took a deep breath. "... you asked me if I wanted to become Julian's godmother. And I can't imagine doing my job to your satisfaction when you live in Paris."

Emily nodded and rose. "Thank you!" She said, touched by Ava's words. "You both are really good friends... the best! What would I do without you?"

"Exactly!" Ava nodded decisively. "That's why you can't go to Paris!" She looked up as someone entered the bar. "Well, I have to go back behind the counter. Work is calling." She hugged Emily once again, gave a curt nod to Nolan and then went to the guest.

Nolan gently took Emily's arm. "You see, no one wants you to go. Ava is right. We need you here, Emily, and you need us. We simply belong together."

She nodded hesitantly, and though not fully convinced of the reasons both had stated, it stirred up her hope that not everything was lost. Perhaps she and Daniel could manage it to save their marriage after all.

 **Grayson Manor, Hamptons**

Daniel opened the door to the manor, went straight to his father's study where he took a bottle of whiskey from the bar and then continued his way up to his room. He put the travel bag with his clothes, which he had just fetched from his wardrobe of the beach house, on the floor and then opened the bottle and put it on his lips. The alcohol ran down, stinging his throat, and he told himself he already felt better. A few more gulps of alcohol and he would forget everything; the kidnapping of his father, the almost rape of his mother, David Clarke, Emily... He had just put the bottle back on his lips when the door flew open, and Charlotte rushed into his room.

"Is this your way of dealing with problems?" She stood in front of him like an avenging angel, her arms folded in front of her chest, looking at him furiously. "Drinking into oblivion isn't a solution, Daniel! I tried that once when I did drugs. And it took me a long time to get clean and live a normal life without that stuff!"

"Leave me alone, Charlotte!" He made a dismissive hand movement and just wanted to put the bottle back on his lips as she took a quick step to him and snatched the bottle from his hands.

"You won't drink again until you black out!" She said vigorously, quickly running over to the adjoining bathroom, where she then emptied the bottle of whiskey in the sink.

"Are you nuts?!" He had followed her and stared at her in disbelief. "What was that all about?"

Triumphant, she put the empty bottle aside. "Keeping you back from doing a stupid mistake." Seeing how he dropped onto the edge of the bathtub and ran sighing his hand through his hair, she sat down next to him and gently touched his arm. "I know how hurt and disappointed you are that Emily lied to you, but..."

"Amanda," he corrected, laughing bitterly. "Let's call her by her real name... Amanda Clarke."

"Whatever." She made an indifferent hand movement. "The fact is, she lied to you about her true identity, but she never lied about her feelings towards you. Her feelings were... I mean... are genuine. She really loves you."

He raised his head and looked at her with a dubious look. "What makes you so sure?"

"She told me. Besides, a blind man can see how deeply she cares about you, and..." She took a deep breath before she continued. "So far, I've always thought that you're returning her love. Have I been that mistaken?" She glanced at him with a cautious look.

"She lied to me... to all of us!" He blurted out, ignoring her question. "And who knows how long!"

Charlotte wondered what she could answer. She still knew too little about Emily's motives why she had come to the Hamptons with a false name. "You should talk to her about it," she suggested. "I'm sure if the two of you talk about it calmly, she'll tell you everything."

"She is only telling lies when she opens her mouth!" He jumped up from the edge of the bathtub and turned away to go back to his room.

"Daniel, wait!" Charlotte also jumped up and grabbed his arm before he could leave. "I just don't believe you when you say that you have no feelings for her anymore." She looked straight into his eyes, hoping to find a sign of remorse. But his expression was stony and grim. Emily was right. He was too embittered to give in.

"Stay out of my business, Charlotte!" He demanded and glared at her furiously. "It's over, okay? You can tell that to your sister too, when you see her. I'm done with her lies and her intrigues! I'm just glad I realized in time what kind of person she is!" He laughed sarcastically. "When I imagine how often I came to her defense when Mom or Dad said something bad about her..." He took a deep breath. "And they were right all along. Emily is a lying bitch! And I'm glad when she disappears out of my life!"

Charlotte was too shocked to reply. Horrified, she looked at him as she asked herself what had happened with her sensitive, sympathetic brother. This Daniel was a stranger to her and scared her. She had already seen him being angry on other occasions. But that was nothing compared to what she had viewed now. She had tried to mediate between the two of them before Emily would really leave the country for good. But she realized now that it was futile. Daniel was too blind of rage to see reason, and Emily was still convinced that it was best to start a new life in Paris. Perhaps that was the right thing for her to do. Resigned, she looked at him for a moment, before she turned and ran to her room. She threw herself on the bed, grabbed her headphones and then turned her stereo so loud that it hurt her ears and she didn't notice anything of her outside world anymore. She didn't become aware of Daniel leaving his room and going down again to his father's study, where he picked up another bottle of alcohol and took it with him when he went back to his room.


	42. Rampage

**'Stowaway', Montauk**

It was after midnight, Jack and Ava were already in bed and ready to fall asleep, when they received an alarming call from Charlotte...

 _"Jack? Thank God! Excuse the late disturbance, but I don't know who else I should ask for help."_

"It's all right. What is it?" He sat up and brushed his hair from his forehead as he whispered, "It's Charlotte," to Ava.

 _"Daniel is totally wasted! I have no idea how much alcohol he drank, but he's completely out of his mind! He grabbed a baseball bat and went over to the beach house. I'm standing in front of it and can only hear how he is smashing everything to pieces. I'm afraid to go inside. Please Jack, I need your help! Someone has to stop him before he hurts himself!"_

Jack was already out of bed, grabbing his pants, as he listened to her agitated words. "Did you call Emily?"

 _"Should I?"_

"I don't know." He frowned. "It's her house and her stuff he's destroying right now." He quickly glanced at Ava, who had opened her eyes wide at the mention of 'destroying'.

 _"It's okay. I'll call her. She currently stays at Nolan's place. I hope she doesn't sleep yet."_

"I quickly change and then I'll come over," he promised. He hung up and let out a sigh. "Did you hear that?"

Ava nodded as if stunned. "He's freaked out. Just be careful!" She warned. "Perhaps it would be better to call the police for help."

"I don't think that's necessary. If Charlotte is right and he is completely wasted, he won't be up on his feet for long." He gestured to the room next door. "You stay here and watch out for Carl." When he saw Ava protest, he added. "Besides, I'd rather have you stay out of this."

She nodded, reluctantly. "You call me at once, if you've overpowered him, promise?" She pleaded.

"I promise." He quickly dressed and then bent down to give her a kiss. For a moment, he hesitated before taking the gun from the nightstand, which he had bought for the purpose of defense only, and put it in his jacket pocket. He saw Ava's concerned look. "Don't worry. It's just in case of an emergency. I have no intention to shoot him."

Charlotte was waiting for him in front of the beach house, as she had told him, her arms wrapped around her slender body. "Do you hear that?" She asked anxiously. She flinched as she heard the sound of splintering glass.

Jack nodded. "I'm going in now, okay? You'll stay here until I allow you to enter. Did you understand that?" He looked at her urgently.

Charlotte nodded. "I... I've reached Emily," Charlotte said haltingly. "I've never seen him like that before. I'm really scared..." She stopped in the middle of the sentence as a low groan reached her ears. She looked frightened at Jack, who thought the same.

Fortunately, the door wasn't closed so that he could enter unhindered. He held his breath for a moment, aghast at the terrible sight that greeted him. The living area looked as if it had been hit by a bomb. The entire furniture was destroyed. He heard something crunch under his feet and noticed that it was shards of glass. It was only now that he noticed that there was broken porcelain and glass scattered all over the floor. He went further into the room, then paused. In a corner, between glass shards and ruined furnishings, Daniel lay motionless and bleeding. After Jack had convinced himself that he couldn't put up resistance, he pulled the unconscious Daniel out of the shards and examined his injuries. He looked up as he saw someone beside him. "I told you to stay put until I allow you to enter!" He said, looking at Charlotte with a reproachful look.

"Oh my God, Daniel!" She fell down on her knees next to him. "Is he...?" She didn't finish the sentence, but cast Jack a fearful glance.

He shook his head. "Don't worry. He's just unconscious. And the injuries are also not so severe that he could bleed out. They're mainly superficial cuts." He looked around. "Is there some sort of bandage here?"

"Yes, upstairs in the bathroom." She ran as fast as she could, grabbed the box and ran back down. Worried, she watched as Jack taped up Daniel's wounds, which were primarily on his arms and hands. Only then did she look around. "What did you do?" She whispered to her unconscious brother.

Both looked to the door as Emily and Nolan entered the beach house.

While Nolan was mainly shocked about the state of the furniture, Emily's concern was immediately directed to Daniel. "Is he hurt?" She knelt down next to Charlotte and Jack and carefully touched the bandages.

Jack nodded. "He must have stumbled and fallen and then landed in the shards." He gestured to the place where he had found him. "The injuries are not dangerous. I think he passed out because of the alcohol and not because of the fall."

Nolan bent to Emily. "You worry about his health?" He shook his head. "Did you see what he did to your furniture?" He rolled his eyes.

But Emily was not interested in the condition of her furnishings at the moment. She couldn't avert her gaze from Daniel, who looked as if he was sleeping peacefully. Almost tenderly she brushed a dark strand of his hair from his forehead.

"Earth to Emily!" Nolan gently touched her arm. "Did you hear what I said?"

She nodded absently. "Can we take him upstairs to the bedroom?"

"That's what they mean by speaking about 'the eyes of love are blind'," Nolan said, sighing. Together with Jack, he managed to carry the still unconscious Daniel upstairs, where they put him down on the bed in the bedroom.

"I'll stay with him," Emily explained, who had followed them upstairs.

"And what if he wakes up and starts to rampage again?" Nolan asked worried.

Jack made a dismissive hand movement. "I don't think this will happen any time soon. It'll probably take a while before he slept it off."

"All right," Nolan replied. "But call immediately, if you need my help if he threatens you."

Emily nodded and then looked at Charlotte. "You should go back to the manor." And directed to Jack and Nolan. "Thanks for your help! But I can manage alone now. You should go home as well to get some sleep."

When everyone had left the house, she took off her shoes and laid down right beside him. It was so good to be close to him again, to feel his warm body, to hear his steady breathing. Carefully, she moved closer to him and pressed her body against his chest. When he wrapped his arm around her waist and she felt his lips on her neck, she reflexively held her breath. Had he awakened, or was it just the familiar habit that he wanted to be close to her? She turned to him carefully, so she could look at him directly. His eyes were closed. So he was still asleep. Only for the last time she wanted to kiss him before she left. She leaned forward, pressed her lips gently against his and then flinched as he muttered her name in a slurred voice, "Em-mily..."

She quickly jumped out of bed and stared down at him. From the moment Charlotte had told her about her talk with Daniel and the disastrous outcome, she had made the final decision to leave the Hamptons and go to Paris. That he had also tried to destroy their home was the last proof she needed to realize that she had lost him. Her marriage had failed. In spite of the fact that she still loved him and he apparently felt attracted to her, she couldn't stay. She pulled the farewell letter she had written to him from her trouser pocket and placed it on the pillow beside him. Perhaps it would answer some of his questions. Determined, she wiped the tears from her cheeks, which had formed in her eyes unnoticed. "I love you!" She whispered before she gave him a last kiss on the cheek. Then she ran down the stairs, stopped short to examine the damage caused by his senseless rampage and then opened the door and left the beach house.


	43. Departure

**JFK International Airport, NY**

"Thank you so much for everything!"

It was only with difficulty that Emily could hold back tears. Nolan had driven her to the airport after they had picked up Julian from the hospital. After she had escaped from the beach house, she had gone straight to Nolan and had told him that she wanted to leave the country the same day. He had tried to convince her to wait but her decision had been irrevocable. Fortunately, Nolan had already taken care of everything necessary for her departure; the flight ticket and also a new ID were available. He'd even thought of a place for her to stay. She would share an apartment with a young American woman, who recently had moved with her little daughter to Paris and was now looking for a roommate. He had found the ad on the Internet and had immediately made contact with her. Although Emily hadn't had personal contact with her yet, she trusted her friend. "And you're really certain that this woman..." She quickly looked at the owner's name... "Julia Hayes won't mind that I bring a baby with me?"

Nolan shook his head. "She has a little daughter herself. She's two, but when I told her about you, she was thrilled." He looked at her with a serious face. "She didn't tell me much of her life before, only that she separated from her husband because he had treated her and the toddler badly." He frowned. "I think he beat her up or worse. But you shouldn't start with that topic right away when you meet her the first time."

"I can be happy if she doesn't ask about my reasons to move to a foreign country," she replied dryly. She raised her eyebrows, and then opened the first page of her new passport. "Allison Kent," she read, looking at Nolan with a frown. "How did you get that idea?"

"Amanda and Emily make Ally." He shrugged. "And Kent for Superman, Clark Kent."

"No one will suspect Emily Grayson behind that name," Emily said, smiling. "Very inventive, Nolan!"

"Or Amanda Clarke," he added, smirking, before he got serious again. "Jack and Ava won't be happy when they learn that you just left, without saying good-bye."

"I think it's better that way. I don't like long farewells. You know that." She looked at him thoughtfully. "Just like when I said good-bye to you before I wanted to run off with Aiden. It gets harder with every parting." She reached into her jacket pocket and took out two letters. "One is for Ava and Jack, the other for Charlotte," she explained. "Can you give it to them?"

Nolan took the letters and nodded. "Until the end everyone hoped that you would change your mind," he said. "I could break Daniel's neck, that he ruined everything!"

Emily thought of her home, where everything was battered in pieces, and swallowed. "Yes, he literally ruined everything," she admitted. "But that made the decision easier for me. I told him everything in my letter. I hope he will see one day what he has lost."

"He won't give up searching for you and Julian," Nolan pointed out. "Valid marriage or not, he is the biological father. He will claim his right if he finds you. You know that, right?"

Emily nodded, sighing. "Yes, I know that. And that's why I need the new ID so he can't find me. Believe me, Nolan, I'm well aware of what I'm doing to him, when I take Julian away, but I can't stay. You saw yourself what he is capable of."

"And still you love him." It was a statement and no question.

"I wished it was different, but yes, I still love him," she confessed, sighing. "And I'm afraid this won't change." She took a step towards Nolan and wrapped her arms around him. "I promise I'll get in touch with you as soon as I've settled down a bit. But until then I ask you not to make contact with me. Do you think you can do this?"

He hugged her close to him and then released her. "It won't be easy, but yes, I think I can do this."

"The same is true for Jack, Ava and Charlotte as well. I don't want them to get in touch with me until I can be sure I'm safe. It would be a disaster if Daniel or his parents learned about my new whereabouts!" She said urgently.

"I understand." Nolan looked at the clock. "Your plane is ready for take-off. Are you all set?"

She nodded and suddenly noticed how her eyes filled with tears. Four years ago, she came here to take revenge, lost her memory, recovered and found love and a home. Something she had been looking for almost her entire life. From vengeance to forgiveness, it had been a long way. And today her journey ended. As she passed the double door system to the plane, holding Julian in her arms, a day-bag on her back, she wondered what her new life in Paris would hold for her. Would she ever come back here again, or would she leave the life behind that she had lived here for good? "Good bye, Emily Grayson..." She whispered as the airplane soared into the air and carried her into an uncertain future.


End file.
